ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Austin Area Office
And
The Mexican Consulate in Austin

October 23, 2018

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1. Alliance Background

   1. Date Signed

      August 25, 2017

   2. Evaluation Period

      This report covers the period between August 30, 2017 and August 30, 2018.

   3. Alliance Overview

      To provide outreach to Mexican Nationals in Central Texas of their rights under OSHA and to foster cooperation and to further the dialogue on safety and health.

   4. Implementation Team Members

      OSHA

      R. Casey Perkins, Area Director, Austin Area OSHA Office
      Joann Natarajan, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Austin Area OSHA Office

      The Mexican Consulate

      Blanca Gaviño Arvizo, Protection Department
      Felix Herrera Herrera, Protection Department

2. Implementation Team Meetings

   Alliance meetings (in person or by phone) were held on July 18, 2018, and August 23, 2018.

3. Activities, Events and Products

   Alliance Activity

   • Training and Education: A training session was provided to Consulate staff on OSHA complaint intake during Labor Rights Week 2017 and again in 2018.
   • Outreach and Communication: OSHA participated in exhibit table events at the Mexican Consulate to distribute worker's rights information to Mexican Nationals visiting the Consulate. OSHA, the Mexican Consulate, and another alliance partner, the Workers Defense Project, have joined together to assist Mexican workers needing assistance with unsafe jobsite conditions, and injured workers whose employers refuse to pay for their medical bills. One of the main outreach events planned with the Consulate is Labor Rights Week.
   • Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health: OSHA added the Consulate contacts to her email distribution lists on free and low cost safety classes, and other local safety events.

   Alliance Products

   • Training and Education: OSHA has provided approximately 800 pamphlets for Labor Rights Week distribution bags that were handed out at ten events during Labor Rights Week. The Consulate also retained some All About OSHA and Workers Rights pamphlets for distribution at the Consulate. Approximately 200 Hispanic workers were reached through exhibit tables at the Consulate.
   • Outreach and Communication: Labor Rights Week events were spearheaded by the Consulate. Participants included governmental and nonprofit organizations, with three additional groups participating this year over last year's events. There were a total number of six events in 2017, which were impacted by rain from Hurricane Harvey. The groups participating in Labor Rights Week included Wage & Hour, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Equal Justice Center, Austin Police Department, Refugee Services of Texas, EEOC, the Office of Injured Employee Counsel, Carpenters Union Local 1266, Texas AFL-CIO, and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, in addition to the Consulate and OSHA. A total of 500 bags of information were distributed at events across Austin, containing information on labor rights, legal rights, and human trafficking. The events during Labor Rights Week included distribution of informational bags at the Consulate and at the City of Austin Day Labor Center, a phone bank on worker rights was held at local Spanish TV station Univision in Austin, and handouts of information at two Mexican grocery store and HEB grocery store in a Hispanic neighborhood. At one of the outreach events, the Austin Police Department was able to have a local Spanish language radio station stream the event live, to encourage the public to stop by and pick up information. Participating organizations also visited a gas station and convenience store where day laborers wait for odd jobs, and distributed bottled water, and informational materials to Spanish speaking workers. OSHA Wage & Hour and the Consulate also exhibited at the quarterly Carpenter's Union Local 1266 meeting. OSHA, EEOC, and Refugee Services of Texas also provided training to all the groups participating in Labor Rights Week on the information needed to make a referral to OSHA and EEOC.
   • Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health: The alliance has opened the door of communication with immigrant Spanish workers in the Austin and nationally, so that they can exercise their right to a safe and healthy workplace.

4. Results

   The alliance has raised the Agency's profile with hard to reach immigrant Spanish speaking workers in the Austin area through a multi-pronged approach.

   Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)	Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
   Spanish OSHA publications provided	800
   Exhibit tables	200
   TOTAL	1000

5. Upcoming Milestones

   The alliance provides a conduit for Hispanic workers to exercise their OSHA workplace rights. The OSHA CAS has been the main contact for questions from Consular staff. The alliance was renewed on August 25, 2017 for another 2 years.

   Report Prepared by: Joann Natarajan, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Austin Area OSHA Office