Western New England University (WNE) is pleased to announce that Assistant Professor of Law Claudia Quintero has been appointed to serve on the City of Springfield Labor and Workforce Development Working Group.
Springfield City Council President Jesse Lederman has appointed four public "Working Groups" to bring forward policy recommendations in key areas of growth for Springfield. These areas include Neighborhood Quality of Life, Digital Equity & Internet Access, Labor & Workforce Development, and Creative Economy & Tourism. The groups have been established to provide innovative and creative ideas to the City Council to improve the working lives of residents of Springfield.
As a member of the Labor and Workforce Development Working Group, Quintero will be working alongside other experts and residents to develop policy and operational recommendations for the City Council. The group will meet throughout the year to collect input and insights that will shape final recommendations to be presented to the City Council before the end of the year.
"As a member of this working group, I feel extremely honored to contribute my expertise towards the betterment of the City of Springfield, said Quintero. "Despite being a transplant, I have come to appreciate and embrace the welcoming and inviting nature of this community. Over the past six years, working alongside its residents, I have gained valuable insights that have fueled my passion for empowering and improving communities. I firmly believe that the City of Springfield has immense potential and a wealth of talent that, with the appropriate resources and support, can propel it towards unparalleled success."
A dedicated member of the faculty at Western New England University where she currently teaches Legal Research and Writing, Quintero is an esteemed legal scholar and advocate for social justice and public interest advocacy. Her research interests focus on the intersections of social justice, immigration, and worker's rights. She provides direct legal advocacy to farmworkers across Massachusetts, representing them in immigration, wage and hour claims, housing, family, and benefits cases through her work at Central West Justice Center where she has led the statewide Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Project as a staff attorney at Central West Justice Center since 2017.
Quintero is also actively involved in community outreach and legislative advocacy, leading the Fairness for Farmworkers Coalition, which advocates for legislation that would entitle farmworkers to overtime pay and minimum wage through the Fairness for Farmworkers Act, which she co-wrote with other lawyers around the state.
Quintero is an alumna of Western New England University School of Law, where she graduated cum laude as a Public Interest Scholar and a member of the Western New England University Law Review. She has been recognized for her outstanding commitment to providing pro bono legal services to those in need and has received numerous awards for her work, including the Adams Pro Bono Publico Award by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services, in recognition of her distinguished service and outstanding commitment to providing pro bono legal services to those in need as a law student and the Student of the Year award from the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. She is actively involved in the community, serving on the boards of several organizations and currently sitting on the Community Advisory Board of New England Public Media (NEPM).
Assistant Professor Quintero brings a wealth of expertise and experience in labor and employment law, which will be invaluable in her role on the Working Group," said Beth Cohen, Interim Dean of WNE School of Law. "Her appointment is a testament to her dedication to the community and her commitment to ensuring that Springfield remains a vibrant and thriving city."
