• 当地时间9月21日凌晨4时左右，美国华人聚居的纽约皇后区法拉盛地带发生恶性砍人事件，一家注册名为Mei Xin Care Inc. 的月子中心遭到恐怖血洗！

    在该中心工作的52岁的华人女性王玉芬(Yu Fen Wang，音译)刺伤月子中心的三名婴儿，及另一名女性工作人员、一名婴儿的父亲后，企图割腕自杀；全案包含嫌犯在内，共有六人受伤。

    Around 4:00 AM local time on September 21st, a vicious stabbing occurred in Flushing, Queens, New York, a neighborhood with a large Chinese American population. A maternity center registered as Mei Xin Care Inc. was horrifically slaughtered.

    Yu Fen Wang, a 52-year-old Chinese woman who worked at the center, stabbed three infants, another female staff member, and the father of one of the infants. She then attempted suicide by slitting her wrists. Including the suspect, a total of six people were injured.

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    警方介绍称，这家护理中心位于法拉盛161街和45 Ave 交界处的一栋三层联排别墅内，这个社区非常受中国移民欢迎，属于私人经营场所，暂未取得相关执照。但该中心却已运营长达10年，内部至少设有11张婴儿床位。

    According to police, the nursing home is located in a three-story townhouse at the intersection of 161st Street and 45th Avenue in Flushing, a neighborhood popular with Chinese immigrants. The building is privately owned and has not yet obtained a license. However, the center has been operating for 10 years and has at least 11 cribs.

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    事发月子中心

    该月子中心登记名为美宝月子中心(Mei Bao)；警方表示，中心有三层楼及地下室，嫌犯持菜刀在三楼刺伤两名成人及三名婴儿后，在地下室割腕企图自杀；警方在现场找到一把剁刀和一把切肉刀。

    警方表示，案发三层楼中共有九名婴儿，三名受伤婴儿皆为女婴，分别仅出生13、22及33天，都是腹部被刺伤，其中一名女婴耳朵、嘴唇、下巴有多处裂伤。两名受伤成人都为华人，一人是63岁美宝月子中心女员工，身中八刀；另一名31岁受伤男性是该中心内一名婴儿的父亲，腿部受伤。

    Postpartum Care Center

    The postpartum care center, registered as Mei Bao, has three floors and a basement. Police said the suspect stabbed two adults and three infants on the third floor with a kitchen knife before attempting suicide by slitting his wrists in the basement. Police recovered a chopping knife and a meat cleaver at the scene.

    Police said nine infants were housed on the three floors. The three injured were girls, aged 13, 22, and 33 days. They all suffered stab wounds to the abdomen, and one girl suffered multiple lacerations to her ears, lips, and chin. The two injured adults were both Chinese. One was a 63-year-old female employee at Mei Bao who was stabbed eight times. The other was a 31-year-old man, the father of a baby at the center, who suffered leg injuries.

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    王玉芬随后被捕，警方对她控以五项企图谋杀罪(Attempted Murder)；但她疑似长期受忧郁、精神疾病困扰，21日全天被扣留在医院，警方将对她进行精神鉴定。事发之后有知情人士表示，涉案月子中心的月嫂，每天工作超过12小时，需要帮产妇照顾孩子、换尿布以及对孩子的作息进行记录等，工作复杂辛苦异常。

    而月子中心老板一心谋取高额暴利，并未对花了大价钱的赴美孕妇提供与承诺相符的服务，产妇和家属自然充满不满，经常拿月子中心工作人员出气，工作人员们一方面受老板压榨剥削拿着较低的报酬，忍受着超常的工作时间，还要应对孕妇和家属的坏情绪以及种种要求，可以说三方积怨已久。

    Wang Yufen was subsequently arrested and charged with five counts of attempted murder. However, she is suspected of suffering from long-term depression and mental illness and was detained in the hospital all day on the 21st. Police will conduct a psychiatric evaluation. Following the incident, sources familiar with the matter stated that the maternity nannies at the maternity center involved worked over 12 hours a day, helping mothers care for their children, changing diapers, and keeping track of their daily routines. This was an extremely complex and arduous task.

    The maternity center owner, focused on profiteering, failed to provide the promised services to the pregnant women who had paid a large sum to come to the United States. Naturally, the mothers and their families were dissatisfied and often took their anger out on the maternity center staff. The staff, on the one hand, were exploited by the owner, receiving low pay, enduring excessive working hours, and on the other hand, had to deal with the negative emotions and demands of the mothers and their families. It can be said that there was a long-standing resentment among the three parties.

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    由于未有明确法规约束，美国以及加拿大的月子中心也经常呈现众多怪象，如非法隔间、饮食不佳，以及月嫂一人要照顾五个以上的婴儿，常被当地民众诟病，也让月嫂以及工作人员苦不堪言，并最终酿成各种矛盾冲突。

    此前尔湾就有一家月子中心发声冲突，有人在门口用红色油漆写上“死胎”，触目惊心。

    这些月子中心皆是违法隔间的改建民宅，多半优先收中国孕产妇，再考虑本地产妇；因为从中国来的产妇，要比本地产妇多支付几倍的费用，还要额外提供签证申请、机场接送、福利申请等服务；而且许多中国孕妇往往在预产期前三、四个月便来美，居住期比只坐月子的本地孕妇更长，业者可以获得稳定客户、赚取更高利润。

    6名员工联名状告

    哪里有压迫，哪里就有反抗。

    在美国乃至整个北美社会，月子中心工作人员和公司之间的劳资纠纷，可以说屡见不鲜，就在去年，美国《星岛日报》还曾大篇幅报道，6名月子中心工作人员向美国橙县高等法院提出控诉，指新喜都月子中心(Xin Xi Du Month Center) 压榨劳工、克扣工资。

    据代表律师伍雄杰提供的控书指出，其中一名担任司机的李姓男子，每天工作超10小时，每周七天工作，全年无休，随叫随到，日薪却仅为100元美元，甚至低过较低工资。

    律师伍雄杰提供的控书显示，该指控已于去年5月2日向橙县高等法院提交，控诉新喜都月子中心、J&C旅行社、张理俊(LiJun Zhang，音译) 、陈费安娜(Fiona Chan，音译)，及洪莹(Hong Yin，音译)，共8项罪名。这些罪名包括没有支付较低薪金和加班费、没有维持劳动纪录、没有退回商业活动预支款项、不合法和不公平商业行为等。

    控书指出，其中一位李姓原告于2014年11月到2015年6月期间，被聘雇为司机，开车带月子中心客人到诊所、购物中心和旅行。在这段期间，李每天工作时间为早上9时到晚上7时，没有吃饭或休息时间，日薪100元，而且被告知油费不可以报销。

    Due to the lack of clear regulations, maternity centers in the United States and Canada often exhibit numerous unusual practices, such as illegal partitions, poor food, and single nannies responsible for caring for more than five babies. These practices are often criticized by local residents, creating unbearable hardships for the nannies and staff, and ultimately leading to various conflicts.

    Previously, a maternity center in Irvine was the scene of a conflict, with someone writing "dead fetus" in red paint on the entrance, a shocking sight.

    These maternity centers are all illegally partitioned residential buildings. They often prioritize Chinese mothers over local mothers. This is because Chinese mothers pay several times more than local mothers and are required to provide additional services such as visa applications, airport transfers, and welfare applications. Furthermore, many Chinese mothers often arrive in the United States three or four months before their due date, allowing them to stay longer than local mothers who only attend maternity confinement. This allows the operators to secure a stable clientele and earn higher profits.

    Six employees jointly filed a lawsuit.

    Where there is oppression, there is resistance.

    Labor disputes between maternity center workers and their companies are common in the United States and throughout North America. Just last year, the Sing Tao Daily reported extensively on six maternity center workers filing a complaint in Orange County Superior Court, accusing Xin Xi Du Maternity Center of labor exploitation and wage theft.

    According to the complaint filed by their attorney, Wu Xiongjie, one of the drivers, a man surnamed Li, worked over 10 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round, on-call, yet received a mere $100 a day, even below the minimum wage.

    According to the complaint filed with Orange County Superior Court on May 2nd of last year, the complaint accuses Xin Xi Du Maternity Center, J&C Travel Agency, LiJun Zhang, Fiona Chan, and Hong Yin of eight counts. The charges include failure to pay lower wages and overtime, failure to maintain labor records, failure to return advances received for business activities, and illegal and unfair business practices.

    The indictment alleges that one of the plaintiffs, surnamed Li, was hired as a driver from November 2014 to June 2015, taking postpartum care center clients to clinics, shopping malls, and on trips. During this period, Li worked from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily, with no meal or rest breaks, for a daily wage of NT$100 and was told his fuel expenses were not reimbursed.

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    但从2015年6月开始，直到2017年3月期间，李姓司机的工作量增加了，他除了要当司机，也要做房间整理和卫生，但他的薪资并没有增加。除了开车载月子中心客人外出，还需要帮忙买牛奶、果汁、水果等，还要负责维修厨房器材，而且这些事项所产生的费用都由他个人垫付！总体工作时间维持不变，每周7天，一日之内工作10小时。除此之外，他觉得最不能接受的就是需要随时待命，24小时随叫随到，在一些紧急情况时提供运输服务，令平均每天工作时间再增加4到5小时，但工资却一直没有增加。

    直到2016年1月1日，被告张理俊告诉李，薪资可以增加到每天110元。但此前由2016年3月到2017年3月，张杰夫并没有支付任何薪资。除此之外，约1180元的油费、约2500元帮客户购物生活用品的开支，也没有报销。

    控书指出，被告同时要求李帮忙签公寓租约，让被告的客人入住，虽然被告答应会报销房租开销，但收关并没支付任何租金，李被迫面对8900元公寓租金失款的追讨。

    其他多位原告也有类似情况，欠薪资和加班费不少于25万元。

    一位高姓的原告，更因被追讨11894.37元的公寓租金欠款，而被公寓业者告上法院。起诉指出，原告们相信，被告张理俊将部份用于支付员工薪资的资金，用于购买2幢位于尔湾的房产，并放到自己妻子洪莹的名下。另外一幢位于尔湾的房产则用J&C旅行社的名义购买，于2017年2月23日以133.8万元出售，而这些钱也没有用于支付原告的薪资，去向未明。

    律师伍雄杰表示，他将尽一切法律可行的办法，确保受害者的正义得以伸张。他表示，据他了解，该月子中心因为客源问题，已经停业，“但不能因为经营困难，而不合法地压榨劳工。”

    如今，事故频频发生，无论是老板、工作人员还是花大价钱过来生产的产妇，都应该好好反思一下了，也希望相关部门尽快出台法律，遏制这种现象的进一步蔓延。

    However, from June 2015 to March 2017, driver Li's workload increased. Besides driving, he also had to do housekeeping and cleaning, yet his salary remained unchanged. Besides driving postpartum care center guests, he also had to buy milk, juice, and fruit, and repair kitchen equipment, all of which he personally paid for. His overall work schedule remained the same: 7 days a week, 10 hours a day. Furthermore, what he found most unacceptable was the need to be on call 24/7, providing emergency transportation, which added another four to five hours to his average daily workday, yet his salary remained unchanged.

    On January 1, 2016, defendant Zhang Lijun told Li his salary would be increased to 110 yuan per day. However, from March 2016 to March 2017, Zhang Jiefu paid him nothing. Furthermore, he also failed to reimburse Li for approximately 1,180 yuan in gas expenses and approximately 2,500 yuan in shopping for groceries for clients. The complaint alleges that the defendant also asked Li to help sign an apartment lease for the defendant's guests. Although the defendant promised to reimburse the rent, no rent was paid, forcing Li to face collection for the NT$8,900 in unpaid rent.

    Several other plaintiffs face similar situations, owed at least NT$250,000 in wages and overtime pay.

    One plaintiff, surnamed Gao, was sued by the apartment owner for NT$11,894.37 in unpaid rent. The complaint alleges that the plaintiffs believe that the defendant, Zhang Lijun, used part of the funds intended for employee salaries to purchase two properties in Irvine and place them in the name of his wife, Hong Ying. Another property in Irvine was purchased under the name of J&C Travel Agency and sold on February 23, 2017, for NT$1.338 million. The funds were not used to pay the plaintiffs, and their whereabouts are unknown.

    Lawyer Wu Xiongjie stated that he will use all legal means to ensure justice for the victims. He said he understood that the confinement center had closed due to customer shortages, "but operating difficulties shouldn't lead to illegal exploitation of workers."

    With the frequent occurrence of accidents, the owners, staff, and mothers who paid a fortune to give birth there should reflect on this. He also hopes that relevant departments will quickly enact laws to curb the further spread of this phenomenon.