NLRB Partnership with Philippine Consulate Comes to Houston

Houston, Texas – NLRB Region 16 met with officials from the recently opened Consulate of the Republic of the Philippines.  Regional Director Timothy L. Watson and Assistant to the Regional Director Ofelia Gonzalez discussed future collaborations with Consul Gilbert Segarra and Vice Consul Marco Angelo Felix Lopez.   

In 2014, the NLRB’s Office of the General Counsel and the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines entered into a Memorandum of Understanding.  The objective of the Memorandum is to provide a framework for the NLRB and the government of the Philippines to work collaboratively to educate Filipino workers, employers, and business owners about the National Labor Relations Act.   

“It is very exciting to have this consulate in Houston,” said Regional Director Watson.  “Whether employee or employer, recent immigrants are often unaware that workers in this country have the right to engage in union and other protected-concerted activity or to refrain from engaging in such activity without fear of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation.  I am very much looking forward to working with our friends at the Consulate to spread this important information to our Filipino community.” 

Established in 1935, the National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency that protects employees, employers, and unions from unfair labor practices and protects the right of private sector employees to join together, with or without a union, to improve wages, benefits and working conditions. The NLRB conducts hundreds of workplace elections and investigates thousands of unfair labor practice charges each year. Region 16 serves most the state of Texas and Miller County in Arkansas from the regional office in Fort Worth and resident offices in Houston and San Antonio.