Thread: Pension payments for 1940s-era Mexican workers in U.S.

Settlement reached on pension payments for 1940s-era Mexican workers in U.S.

By Garance Burke

ASSOCIATED PRESS
2:00 a.m. February 7, 2009

FRESNO — After years of political pressure and legal wrangling, a court settlement reached yesterday allows Mexican laborers brought in to stem World War II-era labor shortages to collect on pension funds they earned decades ago.

The class-action suit brought on behalf of the workers was settled in a federal court in San Francisco. It will allow thousands of graying former guest workers who manned U.S. farms and rail yards to collect earnings withheld from their paychecks and sent to Mexican banks under an agreement between both countries.

Gonzalo Trejo, 76, a grandfather in Irving, Tex., said he hoped the money he made as a young man thinning sugar beets in Colorado would help him grow old a little more comfortably.

“We went back to Mexico when they kicked us out of this country, but we never knew what happened to the money,â€

[quote]
“We went back to Mexico when they kicked us out of this country, but we never knew what happened to the money,â€

This has to do with money they earned here while they were legal.

In October, Mexico's Foreign Ministry agreed to pay about $14.5 million to the first wave of workers, provided they or their immediate family were living in the United States.

WHAT? The US paid monies withheld to Mexican banks. Does this mean that those who could not prove on paper they were here are not entitled to the money they worked for? If we paid money to Mexico, did we not specify that Pablo, Pedro or Paco had earned that sum? Did Mexico have no clue of the identity of the citizens that left the country to work as braceros. Didn't these folks have to come here under some sort of visa?
And what sort of proof is there that immediate family has anything to do with a worker's residence to work as a bracero, since immediate family could mean grandparents and cousins? I hope the braceros get their money withheld with interest or otherwise the Mexican banks stink.

Originally Posted by vortex

In October, Mexico's Foreign Ministry agreed to pay about $14.5 million to the first wave of workers, provided they or their immediate family were living in the United States.

WHAT? The US paid monies withheld to Mexican banks. Does this mean that those who could not prove on paper they were here are not entitled to the money they worked for? If we paid money to Mexico, did we not specify that Pablo, Pedro or Paco had earned that sum? Did Mexico have no clue of the identity of the citizens that left the country to work as braceros. Didn't these folks have to come here under some sort of visa?
And what sort of proof is there that immediate family has anything to do with a worker's residence to work as a bracero, since immediate family could mean grandparents and cousins? I hope the braceros get their money withheld with interest or otherwise the Mexican banks stink.

The U.S. government didn't pay the original money, it was withheld from th workers pay checks and sent to the banks in Mexico by their employers as per the agreement with the works when they came here to work..The Mexican government took all of the money from the banks many years ago and someone in the Mexican government stole all of it. The Mexican workers got the U.S. courts to help them make the Mexican government pay them their money. The workers are all old now, and many have died so it's not likely that their grandparents are still alive to claim an of the money. Children or grandchildren are the family members who are likely to apply for the money if the worker is dead. It as taken the U.S. courts many years to get the Mexican government to pay up.

The Border | 1942 Mexican Immigrant Labor HistoryMexican Immigrant Labor History. The Mexican migratory worker in southwest ...

Under the Bracero Program, more than 4 million Mexican farm workers came to ...

www.pbs.org/kpbs/theborder/history/timeline/17.html - 9k - Cached - Similar pages

Mexican 'Braceros' Seek Stolen WW II Wages | Drudge Retort
The workers assume that an estimated $32 million in braceros' savings was stolen ... to be the Mexican government since they are the ones who stole the money. ... bracero's wages during that time and sent the money to a savings fund in ...
www.drudge.com/archive/114250/mexican-b ... w-ii-wages - 18k - Cached - Similar pages

Bracero claims for money owed by Mexico due Monday - TopixThe Fckn corrupt, uncaring Mexican government stole millions of dollars from ... out of the Mexican government and the Mexican bank that received the funds. ...
www.topix.com/city/hernandez-nm/2009/01 ... due-monday - 66k - Cached - Similar pages

Thanks for your postings, JD2. According to your PBS post, there was originally legal braceros culled from Mexico to work agriculture, but what is troublesome is the illegal component that also arrived here. I just wonder if the Mexican courts can differentiate between legal and illegal emigration to this country. After all, remittances from illegals are the second largest contributor to the GDP of Mexico after oil exports.
Those here legally were sent monies withheld to Mexico, while those here illegally probably had monies stuffed into the employer's pocket which were deducted from the pay check. While the legal braceros should get every penny they deserve (plus interest), it would be fair if illegals get nada--they gambled and got cheated. Hopefully, the Mexican courts can figure out it would not be fair to pay illegals who gambled and lost.

If they were in the U S legally and the money was withheld from their paychecks by the Feds and then sent to a Mexican bank then why aren't they sueing the Mexican government? But in any event they should still get their money plus interest. But does this tell you something about the U S government? While U S soldiers were fighting the fascists, foreign workers--legal or illegal--were working their civil jobs and making money safe and sound. So it makes sense the foreign workers should go home after the war is over. They weren't really kicked out. BTW a lot of them didn't bother to leave and the Feds never did anything about that.

In October, Mexico's Foreign Ministry agreed to pay about $14.5 million to the first wave of workers, provided they or their immediate family were living in the United States.

Why do the workers or their immediate family have to be living in the United States? If they earned the money, they earned it. I don't understand why they have to be living in the United States to collect it.