Weeks after the National Labor Relations Board entered into a cooperation agreement with Mexico, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has taken similar steps.  On Aug. 8, the EEOC announced that its Miami district office had signed a Memorandum of  Understanding (MOU) with the Consulate General of Mexico in Miami and Consulate of Mexico in Orlando.  According to the EEOC, the MOU “establishes an ongoing collaboration between these entities to provide Mexican nationals with information, guidance, and access to resources on the prevention of discrimination in the workplace regardless of immigration status.”

Pursuant to the MOU, the EEOC will provide the consulates with Spanish-language materials explaining the various employment laws the EEOC enforces and partner with the consulates to provide information and training in areas where migrant farm workers and other Mexican nationals live and work. 

In addition, the announcement notes that the EEOC’s Miami office has scheduled a "Labor Rights Week" at the end of August.  This event “is an initiative to educate Mexican nationals and other Latinos about their civil rights, workplace safety, minimum wage laws, and human trafficking.”

As previously discussed, under the NLRB’s cooperative agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Mexican States, the Mexican consulates and the NLRB “will take joint steps to inform Mexican workers of their right to join or be part of a union, elect a representative to negotiate on their behalf with employers, and work with other employees for their benefit and protection.”  The regulatory effort to create a similar notice posting requirement in the United States has been deemed unlawful by two federal appellate courts.

Photo credit: Diego Cervo