noun
- plural of padrone; employers or bosses, especially those who exploit immigrant workers
Usage: historical
Examples
- The Italian immigrants were controlled by padrones who found them work.
- These padrones often took advantage of workers who didn’t speak English.
- Labor unions fought against the exploitative practices of the padrones.
- The padrones charged high fees for finding jobs and housing.
- Many workers remained in debt to their padrones for years.
- Government investigations exposed how padrones cheated immigrant laborers.