Press Release

Jersey City, NJ—The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund’s New Jersey Asian American Legal Project (NJ-AALP), in collaboration with the Philippine American Friendship Committee (PAFCOM), will host its next free legal clinic on Tuesday, Nov. 21, in Jersey City.

Said NJ-AALP Director Alex Saingchin: “Many immigrant workers in our communities work long hours, but in some cases, their employers do not pay them the wages they are owed. Even if an immigrant is undocumented, he or she has the same legal rights to minimum wage and overtime. We want to make sure that people who are not sure about their rights can have their questions answered.”

NJ-AALP has been working to inform Asian American residents about the following labor protections that apply to all workers:

• The minimum wage in New Jersey is $7.15 an hour, and overtime wages must also be paid for every hour a worker must work beyond 40 hours a week.
• It is illegal for an employer to discriminate against anyone on the basis of their race, religion, gender, national origin, or marital status.

Individuals who would like to receive free, confidential legal advice regarding immigration and employment questions must contact (201) 332-4711 to secure an appointment.

WHAT: Free Immigration and Workers Rights Clinic for Filipino Americans

WHEN: Tuesday, November 21st (by appointment)

**WHERE:
**Philippine American Friendship Committee
176 Mallory Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07304

HOW: Call PAFCOM at (201) 332-4711 to schedule an appointment

“We are very excited to continue our partnership with PAFCOM to host free legal clinics for the Filipino American community,” said Saingchin, an Equal Justice Works Fellow with AALDEF. “We encourage people to call for an appointment early since there was a great response to our earlier clinic.”

NJ-AALP has hosted several clinics in the Asian American community in Jersey City over the past two years. With help from several Asian American community organizations, there has been a tremendous turnout from the community at each of the clinics.

The New Jersey Asian American Legal Project is an initiative of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund designed to address the unmet legal needs of the Asian American community in New Jersey.