PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL

The Consulate held a Know-Your-Rights (KYR) webinar on 05 April 2023 with guest speaker Ms. Mirna Velasquez, Special Assistant to the Commissioner for Consular Affairs of the New York State’s Department of Labor (DOL), who gave a presentation on workers’ rights under New York’s state laws.

The webinar was attended by at least 55 overseas Filipino workers, mostly Filipino nurses and homecare health workers.

Key takeaways from the webinar include the state’s prescribed minimum wage and overtime pay, and the Family Medical Leave Act, the Salary History Law, and the law against employer’s retaliation. Ms. Velasquez also shared information on services provided by the DOL including the implementation of labor policies, protection of wages, enforcement of safety and health standards, job placement and job matching, career development counseling, and unemployment insurance.

The key points raised in the webinar is accessible in this link:  https://dol.ny.gov/.  Meanwhile, the “Workers’ Bill of Rights Booklet” is available in 15 languages including Tagalog, at https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/workers/Workers-Bill-of-Rights-Tagalog.pdf  for the information of our Filipino workers in the United States.

Post will host another KYR webinar in May 2023.