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Criminalizing Work And Non-Work: The Disciplining Of Immigrant And African American Workers, Shirley Lung

University of Massachusetts Law Review

The realities of low-wage work in the United States challenge our basic notions of freedom and equality. Many low-wage workers share the condition of being stuck in jobs toiling excessive hours against their will for less than poverty wages in autocratic workplaces. Yet the racial politics of immigration and labor are often used to stir hostility between low-income United States citizens—especially African Americans—and undocumented immigrants. Perceived competition for jobs and racist stereotypes are exploited by opportunistic politicians and employers as well to produce frictions between workers who face similar conditions. Still, there is a strong basis for undocumented and African …