According to Bureau of Labor statistics, Latinos suffer far more fatalities on the job than other demographic group. Are these statistics an accident? I think not. And this has everything to do with the broader immigration reform debate, because from conversations with Latino workers and their families, it seems that employers do not consider us as people with value.

I am a union organizer, a job that is not for the faint of heart: my day starts early in the morning, before 5 a.m., while thousands of workers you never see are up and getting ready to work construction to build our city, roads, and bridges. I gather dozens of stories of workers who witness firsthand the callous hearts of those employers who are all too eager to benefit from a system that allows for the exploitation of workers due to their immigration status. While most demographic groups have seen a decline in workplace fatalities, the number of Latino Americans who died at work has increased significantly.

Between 1992 and 2007, the Bureau of Labor reports work-related fatalities in the U.S. dropped nine percent. However, the number of Latino Americans who died at work increased by 76 percent during that period. The occupational fatality rate for Latino workers is 21 percent higher than for white workers, and 17.9 percent higher than for African American workers. At 4.6 deaths per 100,000 workers, the Latino worker fatality rate exceeds that of many developing nations. Although they make up one quarter of the construction industry’s workforce, they suffer almost half of its fatalities. I recently spoke with Miguel, a member of United Construction Workers and a concrete worker at a non-union company, who commented,

These are not just statistics. These numbers reflect the men and women who help to build our country, people’s mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters and community members. Having worked in the construction industry for years, sadly these numbers are not surprising. We sometimes feel like we are not people. Workers are scared to say anything because they do not have papers. The boss knows—everyone knows—but people turn a blind eye and we pray to not get injured or worse.

Often hired to do the most dangerous jobs, workers often receive little or no safety training, particularly if employed in a non-union environment. Because language barriers are often an issue, many construction contractors take advantage of Latino American workers, not providing employees with information in Spanish and exploiting the fact that workers are unaware of their basic rights to health and safety under existing OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulations.

My union’s local leader, Brian Shepherd, said it best:

As we mourn those who have been lost, we must also recognize that there are significant challenges and systemic problems that exist on construction sites across the country. This all stems from a deeper problem, some of which is theological in nature. When companies do not view workers in the image of God, it is easy for them to not prioritize their safety. Workers coming together to demand safer working conditions and comprehensive immigration reform is a solution to reverse these tragic statistics. If working people do not come together to fix the problem, who will?

The lack of immigration policies that reflect the promise of the American Dream has devastating effects on all aspects of a person’s life. As I continue the conversation with the men and women I work with, I will continue to share their stories with you.

Raymin Diaz is a former construction worker and now a community activist and organizer for United Construction Workers (LiUNA!) United Construction Workers is a new union in the Washington DC area that is building a movement of construction workers to promote the rights of working men and women in the construction industry and the community.