Latina Construction Worker Sues J. Derenzo Co. Over Racist, Anti-Immigrant, and Sexist Harassment
Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and pro bono counsel from Fair Work, P.C. have filed suit against J. Derenzo Co., a multi-million-dollar Boston-based company, on behalf of Yesy Patricia Carbajal Alvarenga, a Latina construction worker who endured months of anti-immigrant, racist, and sexist harassment that ultimately drove her from the construction industry she had worked in for more than a decade.
Rather than being valued for her extensive experience in construction, Ms. Carbajal was forced to endure a workplace where supervisors and coworkers mocked her and targeted her because of her identity. Among the numerous incidents, Ms. Carbajal alleges:
- A supervisor degraded her language skills, despite her English fluency, saying: “If she could speak English, she would have the right to speak.”
- She was threatened with violence: “You don’t show knives to people with guns.”
- She was repeatedly threatened with deportation, despite holding Temporary Protected Status (TPS): “Trump is coming for you, better fix your papers or you’ll get deported.”
The lawsuit further alleges that discriminatory treatment extended far beyond anti-immigrant hostility. As the only woman on the jobsite, Ms. Carbajal was routinely assigned physically demanding and unsafe tasks that should have required multiple workers, while male coworkers were not subjected to the same treatment. She also endured repeated sexist remarks and ridicule that reinforced a workplace culture hostile to women in the trades. When she repeatedly reported the misconduct, her complaints were ignored, leaving her trapped in an increasingly hostile work environment. Over time, the harassment escalated to threats that left Ms. Carbajal fearing for her physical safety and ultimately forced her to resign.
“I went to work every day ready to do my job, but instead I was repeatedly reminded that some people saw me as less deserving because I am a Latina woman and an immigrant,” said Ms. Carbajal. “The discrimination I experienced took away more than a job. It took away my sense of belonging in an industry where I had spent more than a decade proving myself. I hope my case helps ensure that other women and immigrants do not have to face the same treatment.”
“The construction industry should be open to everyone willing to work hard and contribute their skills,” said Mirian Albert, Senior Attorney at LCR. “No worker should be forced out of their livelihood based on their identity because an employer refuses to address discrimination.”
A proud member of Centro Presente, Ms. Carbajal is speaking out not only for herself, but for countless immigrants and women in construction who face similar harm but stay silent out of fear.
“In the current context of increasing authoritarianism and racism, it is urgent to recognize the systematic violations against women. It is urgent to fight for the rights of immigrant women and not allow the normalization of violence in any form” said Patricia Montes, Executive Director of Centro Presente.
“Ms. Carbajal’s termination is a blatant attempt to silence the voice of women and immigrants across the construction industry,” said Alisha Patel, an attorney with Fair Work, P.C. “No worker should be forced into dangerous work conditions simply because of their gender or ethnicity.”
Ms. Carbajal’s complaint was originally filed last year at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) and removed to Suffolk Superior Court today.
The complaint is available here: