When Crystal and her coworkers at Jack in the Box started talking about the wage theft they were experiencing, thestore manager threatened to call immigration enforcement. “Some of my coworkers panicked. One of the cooks started crying and grabbed her grandson, who was at the store, and ran home as fast as she could, scared they were about to be deported.”

Crystal, who is a US citizen, learned about her rights from the California Fast Food Workers Union, filed a wage claim with the state and was awarded $11,363.66 in back pay and penalties. “What really upset me was the terror my coworkers experienced when the store manager threatened to call Immigration, and that many of my coworkers were too scared to file wage claims, even though their cases were much worse than mine.”
The heightened fear of immigration enforcement and immigration threats by employers that many California fast food workers are experiencing, combined with a lack of knowledge of workplace rights, deter workers from speaking
up about hazards and put them at increased risk of abuse in this high-violation industry.