Paper Source Shills Ron's Staffing, an Abusive Day
Labor Agency

Owner Jim York Rejects Community Agreement to Fire
Ron's


CHICAGO -- The San Lucas Workers Center, day laborers and community allies held a Community Accountability Session with Paper Source, a prominent national stationary company on Wednesday, May 17 at the San Lucas Church, 2914 W. North Avenue. Day laborers at Paper Source and their community allies protested the acceleration of firings, intimidation, harassment, and
threats against immigrant workers organizing for their rights at the workplace.

"Day laborers have been organizing to convince companies to move them away from abusive day labor agencies to community-approved agencies," said Randy Smith, day laborer and president of the San Lucas Workers Center.

Paper Source Owner Jim York, who spoke with media
after the meeting, refused to break its contract with Ron's Staffing, a day labor agency that is in
violation of the new Day Labor Services Act of
Illinois. He stated, "Workers have a choice which
agency they want to work at."

The community rejected his response based on testimony given by workers of the intimidation occurring at the company by day labor supervisor Sonia Garcia. "Sonia tells us to stay at
Ron's or lose our jobs," says a Paper Source day
laborer who prefers to remain anonymous for fear of losing her job.

"Paper Source and Ron^Rs have a strong bond," says
Lupe Ireta, a previous Ron's worker at Paper Source for over four years, "I was fired after asking for all the temps to be treated with respect."

Immigrant worker rights advocates long underscore the connection between a denial of citizenship and a denial of worker rights. Without citizenship,
corporations and day labor agencies are able to beat down labor standards. "The boss was fine taking our work and paying us low wages," states Javier Franco, San Lucas leader and day laborer, "Until we started organizing for our human rights."

"Undocumented poor workers see documentation as a way out of poverty," states Nuiris Ramos, of the Near Northwest Neighborhood Network, "We find it remarkable that such a reputable company is spending so much energy to protect such an abusive agency."

The San Lucas Worker Center initiated the first
worker-run campaign to pressure owners of prominent companies in Chicago to use Code of Conduct-compliant day labor agencies. The code of conduct, which was created by workers, commits companies to fair treatment and full payment for any work

San Lucas Workers Center fights sweatshop abuses by Chicago day labor agencies and their client companies. We are a bi-lingual, multi-racial Committee of immigrant and U.S.-born workers, directly affected by the issues, who are organizing to end sweatshop abuses by Chicago day labor agencies; win regular, family-supporting work; and generate self-determination for day laborers through worker-led collective action.