Alliance participants will work collaboratively to support a call center that will provide Mexican and other Hispanic workers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut education, guidance and assistance about their rights in the workplace.
“It’s very simple. The law says every worker has both the right to proper compensation for hours worked and to a safe workplace,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “The purpose of this alliance is to provide Mexican and other Latino workers in the tri-state area with the information and resources that will help them recognize and challenge unsafe and improper working conditions, and to raise awareness of their rights as working people. After all, knowledge is a worker’s most valuable tool.”
Under the alliance, a LABORAL call center will be operated by the CMO. Callers using the toll-free number, 877-52-LABOR (525-2267), will receive information, guidance and assistance in English and Spanish regarding labor issues, including minimum wages, proper overtime compensation, youth employment rules, migrant and seasonal work protections and the labor rights and responsibilities of workers and employers. When appropriate, the center will direct calls and claims to DOL. All information provided by individuals will remain confidential.
The alliance was signed at the Mexican consulate by OSHA Regional Administrators Robert Kulick (New York) and Marthe Kent (New England); Wage and Hour Division Northeast Regional Administrator Corlis L. Sellers; Ambassador Ruben Beltran, Consul General of Mexico; CMO Executive Director Edward Dominguez; and NYS DOL Deputy Commissioner for Wage Protection and Immigrant Affairs Terri Gerstein.