EMPLEO, a new U.S. Department of Labor program aimed at connecting Spanish-speaking workers in Central California with federal and state labor laws, will be launched at an inauguration ceremony at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13 in the Peace Garden at Fresno State. Representatives of various state and federal agencies will join worker advocacy groups at the Cesar E. Chavez Memorial north of the Madden Library. Dr. Frank Lamas, Fresno State vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, will also attend. Run by the department’s Wage and Hour Division, the EMPLEO program has assisted Latino workers in Southern California since 2004. The program will now expand into the Fresno-area and surrounding counties to provide information and assistance on employment and labor rights to workers vulnerable to exploitation in the workforce. Issues include overtime pay, minimum wage, discrimination, workplace safety and other related topics. INFO: José Carnevali, 415.625.2631, carnevali.jose@dol.gov. or Ofelia Gamez, 559.278.4768.
