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Labor Rights Week, in its 16th edition, is taking place at the Consulate General of Mexico in San Francisco, and in 2024 the motto is “Rights, health and working people: The power of collaboration.”
At the inauguration ceremony held on Monday, August 26 between ten and eleven in the morning, not only the new Mexican consul, Ana Luisa Vallejo, was present, but also representatives of federal and state agencies such as the National Department of Labor Relations and the California Agricultural Labor Board, among others.
Referring to the theme of these events, Consul Vallejo said that the objective of the diplomatic representation, during the week, as throughout the year, is to work together with the agencies so that the cases of Mexicans whose rights at work are affected are brought before these authorities and a solution can be found.
According to Vallejo, it is imperative and urgent that his fellow citizens who live and work in the Bay Area know what their rights are, regardless of their immigration status.
"We want them to know that they can count on the Consulate as a safe space," said the diplomat, for example: if they have done a job and have not been paid, and are afraid to complain; or if they are injured and are not paid what they are owed, she stressed.
“The Consulate is here to support you,” said Vallejo.
Some of the panels in this series can be viewed on Facebook Live, such as “Know your family rights” this Wednesday, August 28 at 11 a.m., led by lawyer María Antonieta Grasso.
On Thursday the 29th, José Nevarez (Cal-OSHA) will be speaking on Facebook at 12 noon about preventing heat-related illnesses. The talk will be repeated on Friday the 30th at the same time.
To access the panels you must log in to the Facebook of the Consulate.
Other talks will take place at the consulate, located at 545 Folsom Street, in the city's financial district and very close to the Embarcadero. Admission is free.
Exhibitor calendar for August 29 and 30:
Thursday 29th:
– 8 to 10 am: Gisselle Pérez, Federal Commission for Equal Employment Opportunities.
– 9 to 11 am: Evelyn Prieto, Pay and Hours Division of the federal Department of Labor.
– 12:30 pm to 2 pm: Armando Islas, Department of Labor.
Friday 30th:
– 9 to 11 am: Olive Kersey, Clara Nowinski and Michela Panichella, International Rescue Committee (Trafficking in Persons).
– 11 am to 12:30 pm: Tania García-O'Higgins, Introduction to labor trafficking, SHADE Movement.
If you are experiencing problems at work, including discrimination, physical or verbal abuse, sexual harassment, non-payment of wages, threats of dismissal or deportation, etc., the Consulate urges you to call the toll-free telephone line 1-877 – 55 – AYUDA (1 – 877 – 552 – 9832).
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