For the past 24 years, Instituto Laboral de la Raza has been a nonprofit advocacy and workers' resource center with offices in San Francisco and Oakland. It has provided labor rights education and economic empowerment tools to help the working poor emerge from cycles of poverty that endanger themselves and the families they support. Most clients are immigrant workers from Mexico, Central America and South America.

To service the expanding needs of its clients, Instituto Laboral de la Raza has grown to a group of 5 to 20 in between July 2001 and July 2002. This includes 3 full-time staff, 4 part-time staff, several interns and 10 volunteers.

Instituto Laboral de la Raza accepts donations and offers its clients a $25 annual membership. Membership allows clients to return to Instituto Laboral de la Raza for unlimited assistance for any other needs they may have throughout the year.

Instituto Laboral de la Raza provides critical labor educational and legal advocacy services to the large population of working poor families of Northern California through its "In Defense and Support of the working Poor" program. Instituto Laboral de la Raza has offices in San Francisco and Oakland. Instituto Laboral de la Raza advocates without charge to collect denied wages or file for workplace injury benefits, and to pursue claims of discrimination or harassment in workplace. Its staff are Spanish and Portuguese bilingual. It also translates important documents, and helps families upgrade their immigration status while helping them open accounts with banks or credit unions. A major portion of its services is devoted to networking effectively with other community-based organizations to assure that other legal, civic and social needs are met. Its clients are 95% Spanish-speaking immigrant workers from Mexico, Central and South American countries comprise, yet Instituto Laboral de la Raza is widely known for helping all low income families in need. Its services extend to all Bay Area counties and beyond as it fights for workers to secure unpaid wages and unpaid benefits from employment (500 annually), from workplace injuries & benefits (500 annually), contractual breeches (200 annually), personal injuries (100 annually) and unemployment benefits (100 annually). The offices of the California Labor Commissioner, Superior Court of California, Workers Comp Appeals Board (assisted by Bay Area attorneys), and California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board are venues for its advocacy. The majority of these workers, 90% secure awards for wages & benefits vital to the support and stabilization of their families. Another 400-600 workers are effectively assisted through referral services in matters dealing with employment wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment, family law, landlord-tenant issues, and educational services including workers rights and economic empowerment workshops. Referral agencies are listed with the San Francisco Bar's Homeless Advocacy Project, and through other Bay Area resources (Human Relations Resource Directory of Oakland, Legal Services Directory of Contra Costa County Bar Association, etc.).