Congratulations to the new Health and Safety Trainers!

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We had an excellent participation at our first Health and Safety & Workers Rights Train the trainer workshop facilitated by Diane Henriquez and Claudia Enriquez from Interfaith Workers Justice. 32 participants from different backgrounds and experiences worked together to become trainers and bring much needed information about our rights to health and safety in the workplace to the community in Central New York. At the end of the training it was very encouraging and motivating, for example, to hear Peniel Aponte, 17,  about how she will be talking to her friends about their rights and Ysabel Perez who said she will bring this information to her church. Domingo said that he felt that at the end of the training he had made new friends and hope to be in contact with all of them. During breaks from the training we were delighted by the talents of several participants from Cuba who played music for all of us to enjoy.

Jim Williams, attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York talked about New York State laws that protect workers’ rights with regards to payment of all worked hours and overtime. Also a representative from OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Administration explained what is the mission of the agency and how to make a complaint about an issue that affects workers’ health and safety.

Congratulations to all the participants and we know that with the support of Interfaith Workers Justice and the enthusiasm and motivation of the new trainers together we can assert our rights to a safe workplace and bring this empowering information to others in Central New York. Sí se puede!