WWII-era Mexican guest workers could finally get their dues

The United States relied on Mexican laborers to bolster its workforce during World War II, but activists and lawyers claimed for years that many of those workers were never fully compensated. More than six decades later and after a lengthy court battle, thousands of the bracero guest workers may finally get a chance to collect their full pay. Under a settlement announced this week, former braceros living in the United States who worked from Jan. 1, 1942, through Dec. 31, 1946, will be able to file claims for about $3,500 in compensation from the Mexican government.... At least 250,000 braceros worked in the United States from 1942 to 1946 and a stipulation of their contract with employers was that 10% of their wages would be withheld and paid to them when they returned to Mexico. This would provide the laborers with an incentive to return to Mexico and also prevent exploitation while the workers were in the United States, [attorney Matthew J.] Piers said. But Piers said this portion of the braceros’ wages was never fully paid.