US pact to protect Filipino workers

LOS ANGELES—The US Department of Labor (DOL) on Wednesday signed a partnership agreement with the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles to protect the labor rights of both documented and undocumented Filipino migrants.

Consul General Maria Hellen Barber de la Vega said the agreement was aimed at educating Filipino migrant workers, regardless of how they got into the United States, about their rights under US law and to help prevent their abuse in the workplace.

Filipino migrant workers in California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas will be given access to education and training resources to help them understand the rights and responsibilities of both employers and employees under the US Fair Labor Standards Act. “Every Filipino worker stands to benefit from the agreement, in particular, workers in the health care, agricultural and domestic industries,” DOL Western Region Administrator Ruben Rosales said.—Nimfa U. Rueda