Fuerza Laboral

Building the power of workers!

Our mission is to shift the unequal balance of power in our economy towards labor! We empower low-income workers through education, training, and leadership! First and foremost, Fuerza Laboral is its members, our guiding philosophy is that those who directly experience economic and racial injustice must be leaders in the struggle to gain justice. Immigrant workers are themselves experts in labor exploitation and how systemic oppression operates and are thus in the best position to craft solutions.

PROGRAMS 

Worker-Owned Cooperative Business Incubator: We support workers in taking control of their own labor by forming worker-owned cooperatives. We build cooperatives in exploitative industries to show that another way of doing business is possible—a way that is just, dignified, and sustainable. 

Ending Wage Theft: Our goal is to drastically reduce the incidence of wage theft in Rhode Island through targeted direct actions focused on changing industries, exposing subcontracting as a way of facilitating wage theft, and passing legislation and introducing procedures that increase the penalties on employers committing wage theft.

Popular Education: We facilitate workshops year-round on labor rights, immigrant rights, leadership development, as well as job readiness skills including accessing and using technology.

Justice for Immigrants: We organize our community to stand up against hate and xenophobia, and to demand a society that treats all people with dignity. We work in coalition with other grassroots organizations because we know that in unity, there is strength.

The most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Labor show that Latine workers have the highest rates of fatality in the workplace of any demographic category. Many Latine workers are reluctant to protest job hazards because of the language barrier, their immigration status, or the fear of losing their job for speaking out to their employers. When accidents do occur, workers in our state are left without medical treatment

We need your support to help us sustain these important programs! 

We can do it!   ¡Sí se puede!