Protesters Demand WWII Back Wages
About 500 protesters marched on the U.S. Consulate in Acapulco demanding $1.5 million in back pay for 10,000 Mexicans hired to work in the United States during World War II.
As part of a 1942 agreement signed by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mexican President Manuel Avila, U.S. officials temporarily hired 2.5 million Mexicans while Americans fought overseas.
The protesters say a group of 10,000 workers hailing mostly from central Mexico had 10% of their 1940s wages automatically deposited in U.S. and Mexican banks but that when the workers tried to withdraw the money after the war, the accounts had been closed.
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