FA R M
L A B O R
I N F O R M AT I O N
B U L L E T I N
Voice of the Fields California
May 2021
FREE
Volume 31, Number 5
Farm Working in the Post COVID-19 Era
T
HE COVID-19 PANDEMIC brought lasting impacts to the farm working community in California and across the United States. It’s estimated that between 800,000 and 1 million California farmworkers lost family members due to coronavirus, lost work hours and wages due to COVID-19 restrictions and risked their own health by going to work in the midst of a global health crisis. As businesses across California shut down, farmworkers worked tirelessly to ensure that families across the country had food on their tables. The magnitude of the pandemic, in many ways, underlined just how vital of a role farmworkers play in our communities. And that long-awaited recognition is beginning to change the cultural and political landscape in California and the U.S.
In California, numerous bills are being proposed that aim to better working conditions for farmworkers and increase things like wages, paid sick leave, and other work benefits. Bills are basically an idea for a new law that, if passed, go on to become law. Bills are not voted on by voters, but by elected representatives in the House of Representatives and the Senate who then vote for us. In other words, we vote to elect people that we hope will represent our values when deciding whether a bill becomes a law.
California Bills
One bill gaining a lot of attention and support in California is the Farmworker Wildfire Smoke Protections Act, authored by Assemblymember Robert Rivas. If passed, the bill would increase health and safety resources for farmworkers during California’s wildfire season. Among other things, the bill would ensure that N95 masks are stockpiled for farmworkers’ use and would also employ “strike teams” to travel to farms, ensuring that farmers are following health and safety protocols for their workers during a wildfire. The bill would also require that farmworkers are
provided with wildfire safety information in English and Spanish, as well as pictograms. (“Bill Bolstering Wildfire Protections for Farmworkers Advances,” Good Times Sacramento, April 2021) Just recently, the California State Senate approved the bill to name August 26 California Farmworker Day, authored by Senator Ben Hueso. The intention behind the bill is to commemorate and recognize all of the contributions made by California’s farm working community. Marco Cesar Lizarraga of La Cooperativa Campesina de California said that “by establishing a day out of the year to highlight their [farmworker] contributions, we can begin to have the conversations we need to erase these inequities.” The designation of August 26 as California Farmworker Day is, more than anything, a steppingstone towards addressing the gaps in resources and rights for the farm working community.
Federal Bills
At the national (federal) level, Congressman John Garamendi recently introduced one of the most prominent bills titled the Farmworker Pesticide Safety
Act. Various studies and reports have come out in recent years, detailing the many health risks associated with pesticide exposure and also highlighted the importance of creating safer work environments for the farmworkers that routinely work with these harsh chemicals. If passed, this bill would triple funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “to prevent, recognize, and mitigate pesticide exposures” among farmworkers. (“Garamendi introduces Farmworker Pesticide Safety Act,” Colusa Sun Herald, April 2021.) Perhaps the most significant national (federal) bill affecting farmworkers is the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA). If passed, the bill would provide undocumented farmworkers the opportunity to gain legal status. Farmworkers who worked on a farm for at least 180 days in a two-year period could apply for legal status that would prevent deportation and could be renewed every five years. The bill also includes a pathway to legal residency, though it requires a lengthy eight-year process. Experts estimate that FWMA is the most likely to pass, though there are two other bills proposed by President Joe Biden and Congress: the U.S. Citizenship Act and the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act that both provide streamlined pathways to citizenship for farmworkers. The fate of most of these bills is yet to be determined. But what we do know is that many state and national policymakers are shining a light on the farm working community, recognizing their significant contributions and also calling for increased rights and resources in the wake of the pandemic.
Resources are Still Available in California
E
VEN THOUGH COVID-19 vaccinations are on the rise and infection rates are lowering, Californians are still very much affected by the ongoing health crisis. People need medical assistance whether or not they have health insurance or a doctor. Families need to be able to put food on the table for themselves and their loved ones. Workers need workplace protections and benefits options. The list goes on and on. California is still offering numerous assistance programs, benefits and resources to families and individuals that need it. Do not hesitate to access these resources—they are there to be used and are not a public charge. Vaccines: The vaccine is 94 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations or severe symptoms from COVID-19. Recipients of the vaccine are also far less likely to even become infected with coronavirus in the first place. Getting vaccinated protects you, your community and helps California reopen by drastically reducing COVID-19 infection rates. Vaccines are NOT a public charge and are FREE to all Californians, including undocumented Californians. Learn how and where to get vaccinated by visiting the California Department of Public Health vaccine website: English: www.vaccinateall58.com Spanish: www.vaccinateall58.com/es/
Nurse Advice Line: Californians who do not have health insurance or a regular
doctor can contact a 24-hour nurse advice line for help with any symptoms you may be experiencing, information on how to get treatment near you, and even help with applying for health insurance. Nurses are available 7 days a week, 24 hours per day at: 1-877-409-9052.
Workplace Protections: In California, it’s illegal for your employer to retaliate
against you for taking sick leave, applying for worker’s compensation, or reporting unsafe work conditions, regardless of immigration status. Know your rights by visiting the “Workers” page of the state’s COVID-19 website: English: covid19.ca.gov/workers/ Spanish: covid19.ca.gov/es/workers/
Additional Resources: Help is still available to Californians who need it. Food
banks and free meals are open. Worker benefits like unemployment insurance can still be applied for. Rent relief is available for those affected by COVID-19 who are having trouble paying rent or a mortgage. Temporary housing is still being offered to farmworkers who cannot quarantine while recovering from COVID-19 or after being exposed to someone with COVID-19. Cash aid is still availVoice of the Fields able to eligible Californians, along with so California Circulation: 45,000 copies many other benefits and services. Learn www.LaCooperativa.org more by visiting the “Help for Immigrants” Published monthly by: La Cooperativa Campesina de California 1107 9th Street, Suite 420, Sacramento, CA 95814 page of the state’s COVID-19 website: English: covid19.ca.gov/guide-immiThis product is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is grant-californians/ permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner. Content produced by ALZA Strategies, a full-service strategy firm that offers Spanish: covid19.ca.gov/es/guide-immitise into the growing Latino market. grant-californians/
Remembering
Cruz Reynoso
C
RUZ REYNOSO, the first Latino justice of the California Supreme Court, recently passed away at the age of 90. Reynoso was born in California to Mexican immigrant parents and worked as a migrant farmworker with his father and brothers for much of his youth. He went on to receive a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College, served in the U.S. army, and eventually earned a law degree at UC Berkeley. Reynoso also served as director of the California Rural Legal Assistance, a nonprofit that provided legal help to rural communities. By 1982, Reynoso was appointed to the California Supreme Court where he worked passionately to protect civil rights for all people. Among many other awards, Reynoso received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in 2000, the highest honor awarded to U.S. civilians.
Wednesday 10am