New Workshops on Undocumented Immigrants’ Rights as Workers, Tenants and Patients

On the heels of finishing its first workshop series on immigrant rights, Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD) is teaming up with several organizations on a new round of workshops on undocumented immigrants’ rights in the workplace, rental properties, and the health care system.

The new series launched last Saturday with events on opposite sides of the city: a “Know Your Rights” workshop in Albany Park (in conjunction with 33rd Ward Working Families and Autonomous Tenants Union), and a “Workers’ Rights” workshop in Pilsen in collaboration with Chicago Community and Workers’ Rights.

“With or without papers, we have rights as workers” – Chicago Community & Workers’ Rights

About 40 people gathered at La Catrina Cafe in Pilsen for the workers’ rights workshop. Facilitators discussed state-specific rights; minimum hourly wages (Chicago: $10.50; Cook: $10 after 7/1/17, and $8.25 in the rest of Illinois); ICE audits, including how to respond if workers are confronted by employers about audit results; and the power of unionization to deter ICE workplace raids. Like the first series of community workshops, Gozamos livetweeted the event:

The series continues this Saturday with a critical topic: “Navigating the Health System.” OCAD is partnering with Salud Sin Papeles, a community organization dedicated to improving healthcare access for undocumented immigrants. The workshop will take place March 25th at 11:00am at 2328 S Troy in Chicago.

All workshops are free and run through April 1st. To make additional workshops possible, OCAD is raising funds through their Crowdrise campaign.

Livetweets from First Series