From 2004 through 2009, more than 1,000 teachers were recruited from abroad — most from the Philippines — to fill gaps in math, science, and special education in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Each paid thousands of dollars to recruiters and moved thousands of miles for the chance to teach in Maryland.
Now, after giving up everything, these teachers may be forced to leave the U.S. because of a labor violation against them by Prince George’s County Public Schools.
Earlier this year, a group of Filipino teachers filed a complaint with the Department of Labor to get the school district to pay more than $4 million in back wages.
• Teachers facing deportation rally •
The DOL ruled for the teachers — but also banned the school district from submitting new visa petitions or extension requests for two years. As a result, at least 200 Filipino teachers now face job loss and deportation.
Join the Filipino justice organization, Katarungan in telling the Department of Labor to reprimand Prince George’s County Public Schools for violating temporary foreign worker laws without punishing its teachers and students. To sign petition, click here.
The American Federation of Teachers says that there are nearly 20,000 foreign teachers in the U.S. Minimum wage violations are a problem for many. At least 17 school districts nationwide have been discovered underpaying foreign teachers.
Prince George’s County’s foreign teachers did the right thing by seeking labor protections. Their actions protect American workers by holding school districts to wage laws.
They have also helped Prince George’s students: The percentage of classes taught by highly qualified teachers increased by a third — to 65 percent — from 2003 to 2007 in part due to hiring from abroad.
Yet the Department of Labor is essentially penalizing these teachers for following the law and reporting wage violations. This will discourage foreign workers from requesting labor protections in the future, which will hurt both foreign and American teachers.
Click here to ask the Department of Labor to ensure PGCPS teachers aren’t the ones paying the price for their employer’s failure to comply with labor laws.
Thanks for being a change-maker,
– Change.org team
Leave a Reply