MercuryNews.com
COMPANY MAY BE FIRST IN U.S. TO USE NEW RULE TARGETING ILLEGAL ALIENS
San Jose, California -- In an apparent crackdown on illegal immigrants that may signal more to come, Cintas, the large uniform manufacturer, placed six employees from its San Jose plant on unpaid leave Monday.
The move came after the workers failed to verify their Social Security numbers, a document required by employers to prove their workers have the right to be employedin the United States.
About 60 Cintas workers, labor organizers and immigrant advocates, rallying outside the East San Jose plant Monday afternoon, denounced the action. With 30,000 workers in five states, Cintas, is believed to be the first company in the country to enforce a controversial new regulation proposed and still under review by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The regulation requires employers to resolve the so-called Social Security ``no-match'' within two months of receiving a letter.
Opponents of the proposal fear that Cintas may be setting a trend that other employers could follow.
Posted by tyne at November 14, 2006