News Release
READOUT: US Department of Labor, Dominican Republic renew partnership to protect workplace rights for its citizens employed in the US
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor and Dominican Republic government representatives today renewed a partnership to strengthen collaboration with the Caribbean nation’s U.S. embassy and consulates to provide its citizens with useful information about U.S. laws protecting their workplace safety and health, wages and work hours and other employment matters.
U.S. Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee joined Ambassador Sonia Guzman in signing a joint declaration at the department’s headquarters. During the ceremony, leaders from the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Wage and Hour Division, Employee Benefits Security Administration and the National Labor Relations Board also signed letters of arrangement with the Dominican government.
“This partnership with the government of the Dominican Republic will ensure that their citizens working in the U.S. are aware of the protections our nation’s labor laws provide, including the rights to a safe and healthy workplace and to be paid all of their hard-earned wages,” said Deputy Undersecretary Thea Lee. “They should also know that they have the ability to exercise their labor rights freely, have a voice in the workplace and can participate in our country’s strong economy.”
Partnerships like these help the department enforce U.S. labor laws more effectively, especially in high-risk and low-wage industries where violations are more likely to occur. They also help the department’s enforcement agencies identify problems workers face to enhance and target outreach efforts.
“Our mission as a representative of the Dominican government is not limited to strengthening bilateral ties with the U.S. government, but also with other communities, companies and organizations that carry out their work here in the United States, especially if it is the Hispanic community, with which we are united by so many historical ties and friendship,” said Dominican Republic Ambassador Sonia Guzman.
