Work Without Chains: A Strategic Plan to End Labor Exploitation

Legislative, Legal, and Public Advocacy Approaches

Prepared by Rodney LaBruce & the Unified Advocacy and Leadership Coalition (UALC)

Executive Summary

Ending labor exploitation is not about asking for special treatment — it’s about demanding basic dignity, fairness, and justice for every worker. From the plantations of slavery to the fields of the Bracero Program, from meatpacking plants to fast-food kitchens, Black and Brown workers have been subjected to a long and ongoing history of economic abuse in America.

Even today, some ask, "Is labor exploitation still a problem? Don’t we already have laws to protect workers?"
These are fair questions — but they overlook the reality that millions of low-wage workers, especially in Black and Latino communities, are still denied their rights through wage theft, unsafe conditions, retaliation, and systemic loopholes.

Research shows that Latino immigrants and African Americans are among the most exploited groups in the labor market, routinely earning lower wages, working longer hours without fair compensation, and being exposed to higher risks of injury and death on the job.

This paper lays out a bold, strategic plan to end labor exploitation — not with empty promises, but with transformative, enforceable policies.
Our strategy calls for enforcing labor rights for all workers, securing back pay and restitution for stolen wages, providing protections against abuse, and creating economic pathways out of low-wage labor traps.

As César Chávez once said:

"History will judge societies and governments — and their institutions — not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and the powerful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless."

We must move beyond symbolism. Labor justice must be real, measurable, and permanent.
This is not a "get-fixed-quick" scheme. It is a deliberate movement to correct systemic abuse, restore dignity to work, and renew the American promise of opportunity for all.

The time for ignoring exploitation is over. The time for justice is now.

Introduction

The demand to end labor exploitation is not new. It is rooted in the founding contradiction of America — a nation built by exploited labor, yet promising liberty and justice for all.

For Black and Brown communities, exploitation has been a feature, not a flaw, of the economic system. From slavery to convict leasing, from agricultural labor camps to modern-day wage theft in construction and service industries, exploitation has systematically trapped communities of color in cycles of poverty.

This paper outlines a three-pronged strategy — legislative action, legal challenges, and public advocacy — to dismantle labor exploitation at its root.
Through the Rodney LaBruce for Congress campaign and the Unified Advocacy and Leadership Coalition (UALC), we are prepared to lead this fight.

Policy Goals and Restitution Demands

We propose a bold package of policies to directly attack the structures that allow labor exploitation to persist:

1. Worker Restitution Fund

• Establish a federal restitution fund for workers who were victims of wage theft, unsafe conditions, or retaliatory firings.
• Provide retroactive compensation to affected workers over the past 20 years.
• Funded through penalties on employers found guilty of labor law violations.

2. Wage Theft Criminalization

• Elevate wage theft (stealing workers’ earned pay) to a criminal offense at the federal level, not just a civil violation.
• Mandate prison time and corporate fines for repeated offenders.

3. Universal Worker Protections

• Extend federal labor protections to agricultural workers, domestic workers, and gig workers — groups historically excluded.
• Eliminate legal loopholes that allow for "independent contractor" abuse.

4. Health and Safety Enforcement

• Dramatically expand OSHA’s enforcement capacity, especially in industries with high Black and Latino worker populations.
• Institute mandatory heat protection standards for outdoor laborers.

5. Immigration Reform for Worker Protection

• Create a path to legal status for undocumented workers who report abuse or exploitation.
• Prohibit employers from retaliating based on immigration status.

Legislative Strategy

Ending labor exploitation requires both new laws and serious enforcement of existing rights. Our campaign will pursue:

1. The Worker Protection and Restitution Act

A comprehensive bill that:

• Establishes the Worker Restitution Fund.
• Criminalizes wage theft at the federal level.
• Expands OSHA protections.
• Extends labor protections to all workers, regardless of immigration status.

2. Strengthening State and Local Labor Rights

• Encourage state legislatures and cities to pass Local Worker Bills of Rights, modeled after federal legislation.
• Push for local wage theft task forces in cities like Dallas.

Legal Strategy: Taking Labor Exploitation to Court

The courts have historically been powerful tools for worker rights. We will leverage them aggressively.

1. Class Action Lawsuits

• Organize lawsuits on behalf of groups of exploited workers — particularly in industries with high Latino and Black representation.

2. Corporate Accountability

• File lawsuits against major corporations benefiting from exploitative subcontractor practices.
• Demand back pay, punitive damages, and public accountability.

3. Constitutional Challenges

• Challenge exclusionary labor laws (like the agricultural worker exemption) as violations of equal protection.

Public Advocacy: Winning the Court of Public Opinion

Legislation and litigation alone aren't enough. We must also shift the public narrative.

1. National Labor Justice Day of Action

• Organize national rallies calling attention to wage theft and unsafe working conditions.

2. Media Campaign

• Launch a media campaign highlighting personal stories of exploited workers in TX-30 and beyond.
• Use podcasts, YouTube, and social media to humanize the fight.

3. Coalition Building

• Partner with unions, worker centers, immigrant rights groups, and churches to create a broad labor justice coalition.

Conclusion: The Path Forward

Ending labor exploitation is not just a moral necessity — it’s an economic one.
When we protect workers, we grow communities. When we stop wage theft, we build generational wealth. When we ensure safe workplaces, we protect human dignity.

Through legislative action, legal challenges, and public advocacy, the Rodney LaBruce campaign and UALC will fight to dismantle labor exploitation piece by piece.

This is not a "get-fixed-quick" scheme.
It is a strategic, determined effort to make history — and to finally fulfill America’s broken promise of justice for workers.

The fight for labor justice starts now.