Come On! Migrant Worker Justice in the 21st Century

Seventeen-year-old Ana Flores has worked in the tobacco fields in North Carolina with her single mother for the past five years. Loopholes in US child labor laws and regulations have allowed Ana and other juvenile workers to endure brutal working hours and conditions cutting and spearing tobacco under the charge of unsympathetic farm labor contractors. […]

New Personnel Changes at DOL

DOL Appoints Laura Ibanez New NFJP Unit Chief The United States Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration has appointed Ms. Laura Ibañez as the agency’s new unit chief of its Specialty National Programs office that administers the National Farmworker Jobs Program.  Ms. Ibañez comes to this position from the Labor Department’s Office of Disability […]

AFOP Weighs in as Congress Works on Omnibus Appropriations Package

Now that the budget deal finalized late last month has given them revised spending totals for fiscal year 2016, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are quietly working towards finalizing an omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 2016. To facilitate its adoption, the Senate last week approved the House-passed Military Construction/VA appropriations bill (MilCon/VA)(H. R. […]

Hispanic Labor Force Outpaces All Others in Growth

A recent Monthly Labor Review article reports that the Hispanic labor force in the United States more than doubled from 1990 to 2014, dwarfing the growth of the next fastest growing group, women. The 137 percent increase in Hispanic workers, from 10.7 million to 25.4 million workers between 1990 and 2014, surpasses the 29.0 percent […]

AFOP Member Organizations Mark “Golden” Milestones

United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS) AFOP was happy to be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in July as United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS) marked its 50th anniversary. With the theme “Celebrating the Past and Present” the event included a gala dinner and annual corporation luncheon during which UMOS recognized staff and community partners. Said Lupe Martinez, UMOS […]

New Report on Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Food Insecurity

The Food Action and Research Center reported last month that migrant and seasonal farmworkers tend to be young and have very high rates of food insecurity, especially among those who have children, according to a review in Social Work in Public Health. On average, migrant and seasonal farmworkers are 33 years old. Many have terminated […]

Labor Awards First Federal Apprenticeship Grants

On September 8, U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez announced the department’s award of the American Apprenticeship Initiative grants. In making the announcement, Secretary Perez stressed that the American Apprenticeship Initiative is the department’s first direct investment in this on-the-job training model. [View Full Press Release] According to Labor, annual federal funding for apprenticeships usually […]

Meet the United States Department of Labor — Portia Wu

Portia Y. Wu was sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training in April 2014. She now leads the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) in its mission to address our nation’s workforce needs through high-quality training and employment programs. Working with States and territories, municipalities, labor management organizations, employers, educational institutions, […]

AFOP Signs on Lifeline Internet Access Support Letter to FCC

For many years, the federal government has subsidized low-income people’s access to telephone service through the Lifeline program, offering phone companies a subsidy for providing free or lower-cost mobile or traditional phone service. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the agency with jurisdiction over the Lifeline program, is now considering whether the program should be modernized […]

Millennials Unemployment Down, But…

The advocacy group Young Invincibles is reporting that the unemployment rate for young adults ages 18 to 34 fell from 7.5 percent in July to 7.0 percent in August (seasonally adjusted), while the national unemployment rate also improved, from 5.3 percent in July to 5.1 percent in August. While it is encouraging to see this […]

Success Story: Nilsa Rodriguez

A former Proteus client, Nilsa Rodriguez, is having great success with her new business: “Fiesta Super Movil” or “Party on Wheels”. The event planning and recreation business started with the assistance of Proteus partner, the Nebraska Rural Enterprise Assistance Program (REAP) Program. Anna Santos, case manager in Columbus, Nebraska, tells this story: Nilsa lives in […]

Washington Update – September

With summer ending and Congress back in session, lawmakers only have a handful of legislative days to avert a potential government shutdown. It’s unlikely that a shutdown will be allowed to happen, but it is possible. More likely, Congress and the president will agree on a series of short-term funding measures that maintain current spending […]

AFOP Wins OSHA Grant Renewal

AFOP’s grant is one of $10.5 million in one-year federal safety and health training grants OSHA has made to 80 nonprofit organizations across the nation.

Children Essay & Art Contest Deadline Extended (8/21)

AFOP’s 2015 Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Children Essay & Art Contest deadline has been extended to August 21, 2015. This contest allows us to showcase the talent and powerful stories present among farmworker children. Click here to apply! Students ages 10-18, from farmworker families, are eligible to participate and can win cash awards and a trip to Las […]

AFOP Member PathStone Wins DOL “Training to Work” Grant

PathStone Wins DOL Grant to Improve Employment Opportunities for Formerly Incarcerated Adults and Youth DOL announced June 25 that it has awarded AFOP member PathStone-Pennsylvania a $1.3 million grant through its “Training to Work” program which assists men and women enrolled in state or local work release programs in gaining the job skills necessary for in-demand occupations as […]