Labor & Management Law: Displaced Workers

Name	Office
Alberto Mesta Jr.	El Paso
Alpha Hernandez	Del Rio
Carmen Rodriguez (Team Manager)	El Paso
Jerome W. Wesevich	El Paso
Rebekah Estelle Herrmann Batot	Kerrville Office

Employment Law: An Overviewprovides access to federal and state statutes, regulations, and court decisions. Courtesy of the Cornell Legal Information Institute
Unemployment Compensation: An Overviewcourtesy of the Cornell LII
Workplace Safety: An Overviewcourtesy of the Cornell LII
Workers’ Compensation: An Overviewcourtesy of the Cornell LII
Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN)summary of the 1988 law requiring employers to provide 60 days’ advance notice for covered plant closures and covered mass layoffs. Provided by the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration
U.S.C. Title 29, Chapter 8 – Fair Labor Standards
U.S.C. Title 29, Chapter 28- Family and Medical Leave

FirstGov for Workers provides access to all federal resources for workers and their families
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)enforces federal laws prohibiting job discrimination
Department of Labor (DOL)

Employment Standards Administration (ESA) enforces laws concerning wages and working conditions
Wage and Hour Division enforces laws concerning minimum wages, overtime pay, child labor, and family and medical leave
Poster Page provides downloadable copies of all workplace notices required by the DOL
Dislocated Workers provides information about federal, state, and local assistance programs for workers. An employers section of the website provides information about layoff regulations and employer assistance programs
Employee Benefits Security Administration, Formerly: Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA)protects the integrity of pensions, health plans, and other employee benefits
Protecting Pensions and Health Care Benefits After Job Lossprovides useful information concerning ERISA, COBRA, and other federal programs, as well as links to other benefits publications
Employment and Training Administration (ETA) administers job training and job placement programs through state and local workforce development systems

Layoff, Retraining, and Re-employment Information for Employers includes Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and NAFTA Transitional Adjustment Assistance (NAFTA-TAA) petition forms and petition determinations
Trade Act Programs provides information about federal and state programs to assist individuals unemployed as a result of increasing imports or shifts in production to Canada or Mexico. Includes information about the TAA program and the NAFTA-TAA program

Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA)sets and enforces laws to ensure the safety of workplaces

Workers’ Pageprovides information about workers’ and employers’ rights and responsibilities, and instructions for reporting unsafe workplace conditions

Unemployment Claims and Appeals Information provides information and forms for applying for unemployment insurance and filing UI appeals
Dislocated Workers’ Programs provides information about employment and training programs for eligible workers who have been laid off. Includes information about Rapid Response, an early intervention program providing job search assistance and other services in cases of plant closures or mass layoffs affecting more than 50 workers or involving the economic base of a small community
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and NAFTA Transitional Adjustment Assistance (NAFTA-TAA) programs that provide training and job search/relocation assistance to individuals who lose their manufacturing jobs due to foreign imports or shifts in production to Canada or Mexico

National Employment Law Project provides research and advocacy on a broad range of employment issues affecting the working poor and the unemployed

Unemployment Insurance Project works to expand access to unemployment insurance by increasing eligibility and tailoring UI to the needs of today’s workforce

National Lawyers Guild/Maurice and Jane Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justiceadvocates for economic and civil rights for low-wage workers

Warn Act Reform Blog provides information about WARN, WARN cases, and WARN court decisions

Displaced Worker Statistics from the Current Population Survey (CPS) a joint project of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of the Census
Global Policy Network provides information on the state of working people in the global economy

National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice network of people of faith working to improve wages, benefits, and working conditions for low-wage workers

LaborNet internet source for labor news and discussions from the U.S. and around the world

The Objectives

Conduct outreach and education with unions and in public places to help displaced workers.
In cases of plant closures, help workers receive retraining provision from the Federal Government.

Our Activities

Represent displaced workers in administrative matters.
Represent injured workers at the Division of Workers Comp on an administrative level.
Advocate on behalf of displaced workers.