Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a new alliance in the greater Los Angeles area to educate workers and employers on workplace rights and responsibilities. Known as Employment Education and Outreach (EMPLEO), the alliance provides Hispanic employees and employers with information on federal and state workplace laws. The alliance includes federal and state agencies, local business and community organizations and the consulates of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Central to the effort is a new toll-free line that will offer information and referrals to immigrant workers and employers to help them understand workplace laws. Spanish-speaking volunteers from the Diocese of San Bernardino's Catholic Charities Center will staff the help line. The volunteers, trained by each of the partner agencies, will forward information from callers to the appropriate agency for response.

The toll-free help line, 1-877-55-AYUDA (877-552-9832), goes live today and offers callers an opportunity to ask questions about pay, benefits, discrimination, job safety and health. The alliance also will provide information to the public on workplace laws through public forums and Spanish-language media.

"This partnership will be two-fold by helping workers know what rights and protections they have and helping employers know what resources are available to them to understand and comply with the laws," said Al Robinson, Jr., acting administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division in Washington, D.C. "For Spanish-speaking immigrants, the toll-free EMPLEO line makes the information available right now, in a familiar language, and from a trusted source. Federal labor laws apply to workers in the U.S. regardless of their citizenship status."

Partners in the EMPLEO Program include the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and Occupational Safety and Health Administration; the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission; the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and Division of Occupational Safety and Health; the Diocese of San Bernardino, the consulates of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica; the Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and the Coalition of Human Immigration Rights in Los Angeles.

For more information, please visit www.wagehour.dol.gov or call toll free at 1-866-4-USA-DOL.

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U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance.