Workers, Poverty and Immigration

Arkansas is an environment plagued by economic violence. Despite the presence of five companies that generate the highest amount of revenue for corporations headquartered in the United States, Arkansas struggles to keep its working families above the poverty line. Nationally immigrant populations in poverty are at the seventeenth percentile. In the Northwest corner of our state where both Tyson and Wal-Mart are headquartered 26% of immigrants live below the poverty line (Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, 2006). Nationally 17 % of immigrants live below the poverty line.

In the state of Arkansas 1 in 4 children live in poverty. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (2006) the state with the lowest ranking economy for women is Arkansas. On average Arkansas women only earn $19,100.00 per year. Hispanic women in Arkansas earn only $17,700.00 per year. These are the lowest median earnings in the nation (Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2000).

The need for a safe & justice workplace that pays a living wage has outcomes that are unique for women. A women living in poverty i.e. working a low wage job or who is underemployed is more likely to experience violence in the home (Davies, 2002). Domestic violence makes it difficult for women to achieve financial stability as well as poverty being a barrier to dealing with the abuse at home (Davies, 2002) With the inequality in women’s earnings, and its connection to violence, it is therefore not surprising that the state of Arkansas is number three in the nation in murder by men of women (Arkansas Commission on Child Abuse, 2000).

In Rogers and Springdale police have undertakin training in “immigration enforcement” more widely known as 287-G. This program exists for the purpose of identifying and detaining undocumented workers. 287-G actually deputizes the police force to act as immigration officers. This new program has intensified the culture of fear among Latino residents.

Arkansas state policy serves to protect the interests of the business owners at the expense of the worker. The Arkansas State Department of Labor can only investigate unpaid wage claims that are less than $1,000. The federal Department of Labor will only investigate wage claims when a company makes more than $500,000 annually. This has left a large number of workers who have no place to file a claim. Another issue for workers are hot payroll checks. A lot of payroll checks are written on a closed or overdrawn bank account. There is little to assist these workers because Arkansas state law reads in such a way to allow county prosecutors to choose to not prosecute hot payroll checks.