During Hispanic Heritage Month, we recognize the countless contributions Hispanic and Latino/a union members, labor leaders, and civil rights advocates have made to furthering workers’ rights in the United States.

Generations of Latino/a and Hispanic activists have been an essential part of our labor movement, fighting against economic discrimination, protecting immigrants’ rights, and ensuring all workers can earn a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work. It’s their sacrifices and clear-eyed leadership that have helped create healthier, safer, and more equitable working conditions for all workers in America.

Read about some of the leaders and activists of our movement in our Hispanic Heritage Month profiles here.

The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) was founded in 1973 to educate, organize and mobilize Latinos/as in the labor movement. Today, LCLAA is the leading national organization for Latino/a workers and their families. Learn more about LCLAA on its Instagram page.

This month demands that we embody the values of the Hispanic and Latino/a union members who have come before us by recommitting to building power for all workers in our country—across languages, across cultures and across immigration status—so we may all live with dignity.

We must also make our voices heard at the ballot box. Together we can demand that candidates stand with us on the issues we care about, like protecting workers’ ability to join a union, immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship, racial and economic justice, and more.