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U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said the effort marked an
unprecedented collaboration between the U.S. and Mexico to
support workers who for years have been short-changed.
"In past governments, this would not have happened," he said at
an event in Mexico City alongside Mexican labor officials.
"Now, because of the relationship we have ... workers who have
paid with their sweat will receive the pay they deserve."
The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, which
enforces labor law and recovers unpaid wages, determined who was
owed back-wages through its inspections of U.S. workplaces,
Mexico's Labor Ministry said in a statement.
It will share a list of names with Mexican officials so they can
attempt to locate the workers - many of whom had not been paid
the legal minimum, or had not been paid for overtime.
Officials did not detail the industries or companies that had
hired the workers, or the period for which they were owed.
Thea Lee, deputy undersecretary for international affairs at the
U.S. Labor Department, said the effort to help Mexican workers
was a pilot program that showed the U.S. commitment to workers
in the country regardless of their migration status.
"They deserve protection under our laws," she said in a video
transmission at the event.
Mexico will also launch a public campaign to encourage workers
to come forward if they believe they qualify for checks.
"The work ahead is to find these 13,000," Mexican Labor Minister
Luisa Alcalde said.
(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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