Alliance -- An OSHA Cooperative Program<< Back to Region VII

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed:

    March 19, 2009

    Overview

    Catholic Charities serves and advocates for Omaha's voiceless, lost, hungry, addicted, abused and forgotten people through their many programs. The Microbusiness Training and Development Center offers a wide range of services, tailored to help Latino entrepreneurs and small business owners. The Program provides them with the knowledge, expertise, and tools to write business plans, get loans, utilize technology, improve operations, develop budgets, build relationships and ultimately live their dream. Classes are offered in Spanish and English.

    This Alliance is intended, through a collaborative relationship, to foster safer and more healthful workplaces, by providing Microbusiness Training and Development Center faculty, students, and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of immigrant employees, particularly Latinos working in Nebraska.

    Implementation Team Members

    Adriana Zambrano - Microbusiness Training and Development Center – Executive Director
    Georgina Nunez - Microbusiness Training and Development Center- Instructor
    Ricardo Peacock - Omaha Area Office – Bi-lingual CSHO
    Doug Fletcher - Omaha Area Office – CAS

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    Training is conducted on a quarterly basis, as a new class of students enters and works through the Microbusiness Program. Program Instructor, Georgina Nunez contacts the OAO representative each quarter to schedule a class presentation.

  3. Activities and Products

    Evaluation Period

    March 19, 2010 – March 19, 2011

    Alliance Activity

    • 4/29/10 Microbusiness class presentation

      7/8/10 Microbusiness class presentation

      10/26/10 Microbusiness class presentation

      2/17/11 Microbusiness class presentation

      6/4/10 Community Festival

      6/16/10 Latina Center presentation

      3/8/11 Residential Construction training


    • Class presentations consist of an overview of OSHA and the OSH Act, the rights and responsibilities of a small business owner, and the rights of employees. In addition to being entrepreneurs, the students are often employees of local companies. A great deal of time is spent on the rights of employees, including a discussion of how to file complaints. Training is provided in Spanish, by our bi-lingual compliance officer.
    • CSHO Peacock attended a Community Festival, sponsored by the Juan Diego Center, aimed at providing information about government services to the local Latino neighborhoods serviced by the JDC. Participant Agencies included the Attorney General's Office, Wage & Hour, NEOC, the Mexican Consulate, and others. A booth was provided to facilitate the dissemination of information.
    • A presentation on OSHA's mission, the Act, and employee rights was provided at the Latina Center, which is part of the Juan Diego Center. The Latina Center serves the spouses of local Latino workers, single women and single mothers, and other Latina women in the community. Often these women are the ones to intervene on behalf of their spouses if there are issues that arise in their spouse's workplaces. Special emphasis was placed on procedures for filing complaints.
    • A two-hour program was provided to Latino construction workers, addressing the impending changes to the Residential Construction requirements. The Juan Diego Center publicized this training in their newsletter and posted fliers throughout the businesses in the community. The program was presented in Spanish to a standing room only crowd.

  4. Results

    5. Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)

    Number of Individuals Reached or Trained

    Microbusiness training Session #1

    18

    Microbusiness training Session #2

    16

    Microbusiness training Session #3

    25

    Microbusiness training Session #4

    17

    Community festival

    ~150

    Latina Center presentation

    25

    Residential Construction training

    45

    TOTAL

    ~ 300


  5. Upcoming Milestones

    The intention is to continue providing (4) sessions per year to the students of the Microbusiness Program, and to develop and present training on emerging issues or special interest topics on an as-needed basis. The alliance will be renewed and a draft agreement has been approved by the Regional Solicitor and is waiting for signatures.

    Report Prepared by: Doug Fletcher, Compliance Assistance Specialist with the Omaha Area Office

    For more information, contact the Office of Outreach Services and Alliances at 202-693-2340 or go to OSHA's web page.