Labor Organizer, Advocate for Workers’ Rights
Gonzalo, originally from Puebla, Mexico, is from a working family. His mother is a domestic worker, and his father works in construction. When he arrived in the United States, Gonzalo became aware of the labor abuse suffered by immigrant workers. In his first job, he fought for the dignity of his co-workers by suing his employer and recovering more than a million dollars for them.
After working at the Chicago Latino Union as a day laborer organizer in 2010, Gonzalo moved to Port Chester, New York where for seven years he was the director of Don Bosco Workers Inc. He started “No Pay No Way!” and with the support of the Westchester Labor Alliance, in collaboration with universities, unions and community organizations, he helped pass a wage theft prevention bill in Westchester County.
Recovering wages and educating fellow workers about labor rights is Gonzalo’s top priority. In 2015 Don Bosco Workers was chosen to build an oak chair and altar for Pope Francis’s appearance at Madison Square Garden. Gonzalo, in collaboration with CWA Local 1103, used the media attention to speak about wage theft and abusive labor practices in New York.
Gonzalo has worked with numerous organizations: Latin American Workers Project, the Chicago Latino Union, the Labor Justice Project, in addition to his ongoing collaboration with Don Bosco Workers Inc.