Teresa was born in Michoacan, Mexico and immigrated to the US at the age of 9. After spending her childhood in Los Angeles, California, she obtained her bachelor’s degree from UCLA. Growing up as an undocumented woman in southern California, her experiences led her to begin organizing at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor which led to her continued involvement in labor union organizing at Unite Here Local 11. While at Local 11, Teresa represented both union and non-union campaigns by working on social justice issues around labor rights, access to education, Hospitality Training Academy apprenticeship, affordable healthcare and comprehensive immigration reform amongst others. Her collaboration with Case Action in Arizona and Southern California Primaries led to a significant increase in the Latino voter turnout.
Teresa joins One Fair Wage as the Illinois Campaign Coordinator working alongside community leaders to help recruit, engage and mobilize local communities by facilitating better local leadership and community discussions to organize and fight against unfair laws against minority and underrepresented workers.
