Matching Items (2)
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- All Subjects: Immigrants
- All Subjects: Methadone
- Creators: Gomez, Alan E
Description
Wage theft is a national epidemic that only recently became the focus of increasing research, critical public questioning, and activism. Given the socio- political climate in Maricopa County, Arizona and the heightened national attention on the state, this study answers important questions about the work experiences of immigrant workers in the region. Through an analysis of interviews with 14 low-wage Mexican workers from a local worker rights center, I explore workers' access to traditional recourse, the effects of wage theft on workers and families, and the survival strategies they utilize to mitigate the effects of sudden income loss. By providing an historical overview of immigration and employment law, I show how a dehumanized and racialized labor force has been structurally maintained and exploited. Furthermore, I describe the implications of two simultaneous cultures on the state of labor: the culture of fear among immigrants to assert their rights and utilize recourse, and the culture of criminality and impunity among employers who face virtually no sanctions when they are non-compliant with labor law. The results indicate that unless the rights of immigrant workers are equally enforced and recourse is made equally accessible, not only will the standards for pay and working conditions continue to collapse, but the health of Latino communities will also deteriorate. I assert that in addition to structural change, a shift in national public discourse and ideology is critical to substantive socio-political transformation.
ContributorsSanidad, Cristina (Author) / Téllez, Michelle (Thesis advisor) / Adelman, Madelaine (Committee member) / Gomez, Alan E (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The US is unique in dispensing methadone for opioid dependent people only via opioid treatment programs (OTP), or “methadone clinics”. These OTP are governed by federal regulations which outline rules, such as mandatory counseling. Mandatory counseling in this context is a tool to determine which individuals may gain access to a sanctuary for safer drug use and who may not.This dissertation is an analysis of data previously collected from a larger parent study, but which had remained unexamined until now. Utilizing a qualitative thematic approach to data analysis, this study seeks to answer two central research objectives. Firstly, what does the mandatory counseling consist of and what is the professional background of the counselors. When participant responses were analyzed, it was found that clients at OTP were provided scarce details regarding the professional background of their counselors and which, if any, therapeutic modality is offered. Clients have very little control over their treatment plans or counseling, and the role of the counselor is focused more directly on surveillance than therapeutic goals.
Secondly, this analysis explores client beliefs about mandatory counseling. While most participants generally held positive views about counseling independent of the mandate, responses bifurcated into two distinct groups. Participants were very supportive of the mandatory counseling, or they expressed a desire for more autonomy and freedom of choice regarding counseling. The findings of this dissertation indicate the need for comprehensive reform of methadone dispensation in the United States.
ContributorsRussell, Danielle Marie (Author) / Quan, Helen L (Thesis advisor) / Meyerson, Beth E (Committee member) / Gomez, Alan E (Committee member) / Daniulaityte, Raminta (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023