Questions | Capital District | Latino Communities
Keeping the New York State Home Front Going: Mexican Braceros in World War II
Document 8
Vocabulary
Deducted: Taken out of paycheck.
Compensation: Payment.
Transmitted: Sent.
Advocates: One who tries to help a cause.
Academics: College or University professors.
MEXICAN LABORERS IN U.S. DURING WAR SUE FOR BACK PAY
By PAM BELLUCK (NYT) 1571 words
Late Edition - Final, Section 1, Page 1, Column 1
ABSTRACT - Thousands of Mexican laborers who came to US during World War II as railroad workers or farmhands say they never received money deducted from their paychecks and are seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation from US and Mexican government; from 1942 and possibly as late as 1949, 10 percent of wages of these workers, called braceros, were deducted and held in savings accounts, under agreements between US and Mexico; money was to be transmitted from American banks to Mexican banks and given to braceros when they returned home; braceros say many did not receive savings; US government records at time indicate at least $32 million was withheld from wages, and 1946 Mexican government report suggests all but $6 million was paid back; advocates and academics estimate amount currently owed, including interest, could be $500 million or more.
Document 8: Abstract of New York Times article, April 29, 2001. Online. Internet. www.nytimes.com
Document 8 Short-Answer Questions
- Why are the braceros seeking money from the U.S. and Mexican governments?
- What was supposed to happen to the ten percent that was deducted from their paychecks while they worked in the U.S.?
- How much was withheld from the bracero wages?
- How much money do advocates and academics think is currently owed to braceros?
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