News Release

OSHA News Release: [07/21/2004]
Contact Name: Lisa Kruska
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676

U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao and Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez Sign Joint Declaration to Improve Working Conditions for Mexican Workers

U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and Occupational Safety and Health Administration Sign Letters of Agreement with Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry

WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao and the Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Luis Ernesto Derbez, today signed a Joint Declaration that reaffirms the shared commitment of the United States and Mexico to improve compliance with and awareness of workplace laws and regulations protecting Mexican workers in the United States.

“Hispanics are an integral part of the American workforce, and Mexican workers comprise the largest segment of the Hispanic workforce in America. This administration is committed to ensuring that they are safe on the job and fully and fairly compensated for their work,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. “These agreements will build on this administration’s unprecedented joint outreach program with the Mexican Embassy and its consulates in the United States.”

Secretary Derbez recalled the significant contribution of Mexican workers to the U.S. and Mexican economies and societies. “President Vicente Fox has instructed the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs to implement concrete actions that will improve the quality of life of all Mexicans in the United States.” The social agenda between Mexico and the United States has become one of the main components of the bilateral relationship. For this reasons, these agreements “will be a joint effort to provide all Mexican workers in the US with information on their workplace rights.”

Consistent with the Joint Declaration, two Letters of Agreement were also signed today, which highlight specific efforts to be undertaken jointly between the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Mexican Embassy and the 45 Consulates in the United States. These specific initiatives build on existing joint efforts.

One of the priorities of the Wage and Hour Division is to increase worker protections in the low-wage industries that often employ high numbers of Hispanic workers. “Through the end of the first half of the fiscal year, the Wage and Hour Division collected just over $18.3 million in back wages for nearly 31,000 workers in key low-wage industries that typically employ large numbers of Hispanic workers,” said Victoria A. Lipnic, Assistant Secretary for DOL’s Employment Standards Administration, who signed the Wage and Hour Division Letter of Agreement for the United States.

The Wage and Hour Division Letter of Agreement builds on ongoing cooperative efforts with the Mexican Consulate, including Houston’s Justice and Equality in the Workplace Program and other similar regional initiatives launched in recent years in Dallas, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

The Letter of Agreement signed by Assistant Secretary for OSHA John Henshaw reinforces the Department of Labor’s continuing efforts to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for workers from Mexico. “Our efforts include a multi-pronged approach to improve safety and health conditions in the workplace, and provide outreach and assistance to Spanish-speaking workers and employers,” said Henshaw.

Undersecretary Geronimo Gutierrez, who signed both Letters of Agreement, on the Mexican side, said “this is an important next step to protect the labor rights of all Mexican workers in the U.S. and to provide them with the tools they need to be safe at work and fully and fairly compensated.”

Mexican Ambassador to the United States, Carlos de Icaza, also participated in the signing ceremony.

OSHA has over 140 Spanish-speaking employees, including Hispanic coordinators in each of its 10 regional offices, and has created a Hispanic Taskforce. The agency has also established partnerships or working relationships with the Hispanic Contractors of America, the National Safety Council, the Mexican consulates, the Mexican government, and many other organizations to work together on outreach, education and assistance. The agency offers a toll-free help line (1-800-321-OSHA) that provides assistance in English and Spanish; a Spanish web page that is continually updated; and many documents and publications available in Spanish.

In addition to the print announcements, the department will release a series of radio actualities featuring Secretary Chao that promote retirement savings. The radio actualities are available at http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/audio/.

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Lea este communicado de prensa en español

Listen to the audio news release.

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