Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)

Background

The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement was established in 1973 when the AFL-CIO brought together Latino labor activists and members of local Latino labor committees to form the organization. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) described the LCLAA as “the first organization of Latino workers to achieve effective nation-wide scope” and “the only national organization of Latino unionists which has the official endorsement and support of the AFL-CIO.” The group grew rapidly in its early years, establishing 25 chapters in 12 states by late 1974 and holding its first National Membership Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in April 1975, where 150 delegates from 44 international unions attended. ^{5 6 7}

Membership in the LCLAA is open to any union member, and the organization reported 52 chapters in the United States as of 2021. ^{3 8}

Activities

The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement conducts lobbying, voter registration, get-out-the-vote campaigns, policy research, and coalition-building activities aligned with left-wing priorities, including comprehensive immigration reform, expanded union organizing rights, and opposition to immigration enforcement. ⁹

On immigration policy, the LCLAA has called for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, “fundamental reform” of guest worker visa programs, and the extension of full federal labor law protections, including collective bargaining powers, to domestic and agricultural workers. ⁹

The group has opposed state-level immigration-enforcement legislation, characterizing a 2024 Georgia law authorizing local law enforcement to arrest and detain individuals suspected of violating immigration law as “excessively harsh and fundamentally anti-immigrant.” ¹⁰

The LCLAA has also supported the PRO Act, federal legislation that would substantially expand union organizing powers. The group has taken public positions on forgiving student loan debt, urged expanded social services funding, and publicly applauded Biden administration executive orders affecting DACA and immigration status. ^{11 12}

In 2024, the LCLAA joined the SEIU, America’s Voice, the UnidosUS Action Fund, Poder Latinx, and other left-wing organizations in the Defendiendo Nuestro Futuro: Latinos Against Project 2025 campaign, which explicitly sought to mobilize Latino voters against the Republican presidential ticket. ¹³

As of 2026, the LCLAA was listed as a member of the National Committee on Pay Equity, a coalition of organizations that advocate for elimination of perceived sex-based and race-based income inequality. ^{14 15}

Sí Podemos Fund

In 2021, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement announced the creation of the LCLAA Sí Podemos Fund, a separate 501(c)(4) political arm focused on voter registration, citizenship programs, and electoral engagement. The Sí Podemos Fund participated in the Latinos Against Project 2025 coalition in the 2024 election cycle; LCLAA national president Evelyn DeJesus served as its chair and issued statements characterizing the campaign of then-former President Donald Trump as “rooted in hate and division.” ^{4 13}

Leadership

Evelyn DeJesus was elected national president of Labor Council for Latin American Advancement in 2023, succeeding Yanira Merino. DeJesus simultaneously holds the position of executive vice president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). ¹⁶