Labor leaders and Latino officials used the Labor Day holiday as an opportunity to reflect upon the progress and future of the Latino workforce in the United States. U.S. Secretary of Labor, Thomas E. Perez, placed a particularly strong emphasis in his Labor Day statements and op-eds on recognizing the contributions of Latino workers who comprise a substantial portion of the U.S. workforce.
Secretary Perez underscored President Obama’s commitment to paying all workers a livable and fair wage. “That’s why we’ve fought so hard for an increase the national minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. It’s based on a very basic value proposition: no one who works full-time in America should have to raise their families in poverty. The president’s proposal would benefit 28 million workers nationwide, one quarter of whom are Latino” said Perez.
Labor leaders highlighted resounding statistics that posit the indispensability and strength in numbers of the Latino workforce. Many of these leaders noted that despite the robust presence of Hispanic workers in the U.S. labor force, many still face disproportionately high rates of wage theft and other workplace violations.
Hector E. Sanchez, Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement stated that, “Latinos deserve their basic labor rights, civil rights and human rights.” Sanchez stressed the importance of unionization for Latino workers in order to protect their rights. Organized labor according to Sanchez has been an unwavering champion of immigration reform, workplace protections and fairer wages for all workers.
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