May 1, 2017
Honorable Consulate of the People’s Republic of China:
We are 92 Chinese workers currently in Saipan. We worked for Gold Mantis Decoration LLC at the construction site of Imperial Pacific’s casino. In China, we paid 30,000-50,000 RMB [US $4,350-7,250] for the opportunity to work in America. We worked 13 hours every day with hardly a day off. Many workers suffered injuries on the job. The wages promised by the company (300 RMB [US $43.51] for 9 hours, 50 RMB [US $7.25] for each additional hour of overtime) are below the U.S. minimum wage. Gold Mantis also deducted a “tax” of US $1,000-1,600 per person. But Gold Mantis has not paid even a cent of our last month of wages. Since April 2, when our work ended, we have not been paid the money that we earned.
Today the Chinese people will celebrate International Worker’s Day. But, we Chinese workers in Saipan are penniless and struggling. Gold Mantis has violated our most basic labor rights. Each Gold Mantis representative, big and small, has fled Saipan and returned to China. In this past month, we have requested assistance from the local government and U.S. Department of Labor, but the situation has not been resolved. Our wives and children at home are in tears. Therefore, we urge the Chinese government to reach out and provide a helping hand to us, persuading Gold Mantis to pay the wages prescribed by the law.
Thank you.
Worker Representatives:
ZHOU Qing Jiang: +1670-7885885 (mobile phone); 15143310199 (WeChat ID)
WANG Feng Kai: +1670-7886360 (mobile phone); xiaokai67890 (WeChat ID)
MENG Hong Jun: +1670-2853468 (mobile phone); mengjun1836882558 (WeChat ID)
Below are the signatures of the 92 workers.
this happened on US territory, how is China responsible for this? It’s good to want change in China but maybe USA needs to change too??
Gold Mantis is a Suzhou-based PRC corporation and its managers have secretly left Saipan, abandoning those PRC workers who have been cheated out of their hard-earned wages. PRC corporations are governed by PRC laws relating to labor practices, so the petition was correctly addressed to PRC authorities.
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