Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Hispanics and Latinos have made to the labor movement. Today's profile features Robert E. Mateo.
Robert E. Mateo migrated to the U.S. in 2006 from the Dominican Republic and joined IUPAT District Council 9 in 2010. He soon got more involved, becoming a steward and later the financial secretary for IUPAT Local 18. The opportunity the union gave him as an immigrant changed his life and the lives of his family. His oldest son is excited to follow in his footsteps and become a union painter through the apprentice program.