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Organize against Labor Trafficking

The Chicago and Midwest Regional Joint Board of Workers United, The Chicago Federation of Labor and The Chicago Workers Collaborative have joined forces to fight against labor trafficking. 

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Labor trafficking includes situations where men, women, and children are forced to work through coercion, fraud, threats, and/or violence.  Keeping victims isolated — physically or emotionally, language barriers, unfamiliar surroundings, bunkhouses — is a key method of control in most labor trafficking situations.  But that does not mean you never cross paths with someone who is experiencing labor trafficking.

RISKS

Anyone can experience trafficking in any community, just as anyone can be the victim of any kind of crime. Many societal factors can put people at risk. Immigrants and people of color are at a significantly higher risk of labor trafficking - 93% of likely labor trafficking victims

• Foreign Nationals: 92% of victims whose nationality was known were foreign nationals.

• Hispanic & Asian Populations

• Socioeconomic/Poverty Targets: The working poor.

• The workers feels pressured by their employer to stay in a job or situation they want to leave

• Owe money to an employer or recruiter or are not being paid what they were promised or are owed

• Do not have control of their passport or other identity documents

•. Are living and working in isolated conditions, largely cut off from interaction with others or support systems

•. Appear to be monitored by another person when talking or interacting with others

•. Are being threatened by their boss with deportation or other harm

•. Are working in dangerous conditions without proper safety gear, training, adequate breaks, or other protections

•. Are living in dangerous, overcrowded, or inhumane conditions provided by an employer

SIGNS

VULNERABILITIES

1. The Temporary Visa Loophole

A massive portion of labor trafficking happens completely legally on paper.

• Traffickers abuse temporary non-immigrant visas, specifically H-2A agricultural visas and H-2B seasonal worker visas.

• Because these visas are legally tied to a single employer, the worker cannot legally quit or switch jobs if they are abused.

• Leaving an abusive employer results in losing legal status, which forces many immigrants to quietly endure severe labor exploitation to avoid deportation.

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2. Fear of Legal Authorities & Deportation

• Traffickers actively weaponize a victim's immigration status, using threats of ICE reporting or law enforcement intervention as their primary mechanism of psychological coercion.

•. Victims originating from countries with corrupt police forces possess an inherent distrust of local authorities, ensuring they rarely self-report or seek help from U.S. police.

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3. Cultural and Linguistic Isolation

• Limited English proficiency creates an environment where a worker cannot easily read local labor law posters, understand their constitutional rights, or independently communicate a plea for help to outsiders.

• Traffickers systematically cut off a victim's communication lines, preventing them from connecting with local immigrant advocacy groups or diaspora networks that could offer safety.

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4. Pre-Existing Recruitment Debts

• Many migrant workers arrive in the U.S. carrying massive financial debts owed to localized, predatory "smugglers" or international recruiters who charged exorbitant fees for transportation and job placement.

• Traffickers exploit this financial burden by forcing the worker into debt bondage, continuously changing the terms of the loan so the debt can never actually be paid off.

ORGANIZE!

Organized and educated workers are the antidote to labor trafficking and exploitation. An educated membership can be the lifeline that many exploited workers need. Here are some other things we can do:

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  • Organize! Organize in our communities, churches and everywhere we go. 

  • Advocate for stronger labor protections and more serious punishments for those who are guilty of exploiting workers.

  • Give AGs and state DOLs more power to investigate and prosecute.

  • Address poverty by strengthening our communities with better school, better healthcare and better infrastructure.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WHO TO CONTACT IF YOU SUSPECT SOMEONE IS EXPLOITED, CLICK ON THE BUTTONS BELOW:

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