An organization upholding the rights of Asian immigrant workers in America are offering free legal advice for workers that are affected with wage theft violations. This is part of the celebration of “National Days of Action against Wage Theft” this month.

Apparently, most cases of the prevalent wage violations in USA involved Asian workers. The reason for this is the lack of knowledge of many Asian workers regarding the laws that must be followed by employers in New York and New Jersey.

The group offering free legal advice, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) said that a 2008 study revealed that Asian immigrant workers suffered the highest rate of overtime violations of any racial group.

A staff lawyer at AALDEF, Shirley Lin, said, “Undocumented workers and workers with limited English proficiency are disproportionately affected by wage theft. Many do not know that US minimum wage, overtime, and other basic protections apply to all workers, regardless of their immigration status."

The AALDEF was formed in 1974 and provides free legal advice to Asian immigrant workers. They also represent Asian workers in USA in lawsuits for unpaid wages and other wage theft violations.

For more inquiries or to seek assistance, one can contact Lin at (212) 966-5932 ext. 220 or slin@aaldef.org, or AALDEF program associate Elizabeth Koo at (212) 966-5932 ext. 215 or ekoo@aaldef.org.