La Voz del Campo - September 2019 - English

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

September 2019

FREE

Volume 29, Number 9

California Immigrant Guide

C

alifornia’s diverse immigrants contribute greatly to the success of the Golden State.

27 percent of people living in California between 2011 and 2015 were born in another country; 5.6 million immigrants became naturalized citizens in California between 2004 and 2014; and 36 percent of California’s small business owners are represented by immigrants. Immigrants contributed almost $650 billion to California’s Gross Domestic Product in 2014, according to the California Immigrant Policy Center.

The government of California created the California Immigrant Guide (www.immigrantguide.ca.gov) to help immigrants fully integrate to become part of the social, economic and civic fabric of the state. This guide highlights more than 30 different services that can help immigrants thrive and succeed. Immigrants who are looking for help with English language learning, workforce skill development, naturalization preparation or legal assistance, can find information on available services throughout the state.

The California Immigrant Guide website contains information about a number of important services, along with contact information and a quick “Start” link to make it easy for you to find what you are looking for. Some of those services are listed below. The state agencies that can help you with those particular services are listed in parentheses.

Use the Guide to find out how to: Apply for the California Dream Act California students who cannot get financial aid from the federal government and meet other specific requirements to apply for state financial aid so they can attend California colleges, universities, and Career Education Programs. (CA Student Aid Commission) Enroll Your Kids in Technology Programs If you want your child to learn more about computers and technology, contact the “Hack the Hood” program. (CA Workforce Development Board)

Find a Job This guide will help you look up job openings, find information about applying for jobs in California. (CA Employment Development Department) Find a Citizenship Class Find a citizenship class to learn about becoming a U.S. citizen with the Directory of Adult Education Programs. (CA Department of Education) Attend a Student Financial Aid Workshop Attend a student financial aid workshop with the Cash for College program. The Cash for College program offers free, hands-on workshops across the state. You can also learn about scholarships and other forms of financial aid. (CA Student Aid Commission) Find an English as a Second Language/English Class Find a class to learn English near you with this Directory of Adult Education Programs. (CA Department of Education) Find California Community College Resources for Undocumented Students Services and protections to undocumented students. (California Community Colleges) Find Child Care You can find Child Care Services via the Department of Social Services website. (CA Department of Social Services) Find Adult Education Services Directory of Adult Education Programs. The list has adult education providers to help you learn English, learn about getting a job, and train you for a job. The classes can also help you get a high school diploma and learn how to become a U.S. citizen. (CA Department of Education) Find Refugee Services You can find places to learn English, get jobs and training, and learn about education, citizenship, and legal help.

(CA Department of Social Services) Find Your Local School This list includes public, private, and adult schools, as well as information on school districts and county education offices. (CA Department of Education)

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Immigrant Guide Continued from page 1

Get a High School Diploma General Educational Development (GED) programs, can help adults who did not graduate from high school prepare for and take a test to get high school diploma. (CA Department of Education)

Find Out About Jobs for Foreign-Born Professionals Many foreign-born California residents became professionals in their home countries and are highly educated but are unemployed or underemployed in the United States. The organization, Upwardly Global, partners with the State to help foreign-born professionals find jobs that use their skills and offer better wages. (CA Workforce Development Board)

Get Citizenship Services Citizenship services can include information on eligibility requirements and application assistance with the naturalization application. Through the link, you can select your region to find a provider near you. (CA Department of Social Services)

Learn More About DMV for DACA Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) have been authorized to apply for a driver license or ID card since June 15, 2012, upon presentation of documents issued by the Department of Homeland Security. (CA Department of Motor Vehicles)

Get DACA Legal Help Find immigration legal services for DACA via the Department of Social Services website. There are service providers throughout California. (CA Department of Social Services) Get Disaster Relief Assistance Guide to Disaster Services for Immigrant with information about the different types of federal, state, and local disaster assistance services available in California. (CA Department of Social Services)

Learn How to Read and Write Find a class to learn how to read and write in English with the Directory of Adult Education. (CA Department of Education) Learn More About Medi-Cal for DACA Learn more about MediCal for DACA. (CA Department of Health Care Services)

Get Job Training in Locations Such as Long Beach; Madera/ Fresno; Orange County; Sacramento; San Diego If you are in any of these areas, there are links in the Immigrant Guide to connect you with Job Training programs offered by providers such as ASPIRE, America Jobs Center of California (AJCC), ELL Navigators; and the CA Workforce Development Board.

Look Up A Bill or a Law Link to search California Legislative Information and access California Law and Bill information including Legislative Publications. (CA State Legislature) Look Up Your Representatives Link to an online service to find your State Senate, State Assembly or United States Congressional Representative, as well as information on how you can contact them.

(CA Secretary of State)

Get Student Financial Aid Information You can find out about student financial aid information using a link to the “Fund Your Future” magazine, the California Student Aid Commission’s resource guide for college and career training financial aid. (CA Student Aid Commission)

Renew Your Driver’s License Link to information on how to renew your Driver’s License. (CA Department of Motor Vehicles)

Get Legal Help You can find immigration legal services. Legal help can include application assistance with the Naturalization application and other USCIS forms. (Department of Social Services)

Information About Paths to U.S. Citizenship Public libraries can help put you on the path to citizenship! Public libraries can provide immigration study and test materials, official immigration forms and access to computers for filling out the citizenship application.

The link will help you find your local public library. Even if you don’t speak English your library can help. (CA State Library)

Get Updates on DACA The Office of the Governor has a link to updates on the DACA Program. (Office of the Governor) Learn About Applying to College Learn more about college with the California Student Opportunity and Access Program (CalSOAP). Cal-SOAP serves first-generation and low-income students.

(CA Student Aid Commission)

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Pesticides and Farmworkers

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growing number of US consumers have reduced their consumption of produce grown with pesticides to protect their family’s health.

Despite increased demand for food grown without pesticides, conventional growing practices dominate agriculture production. Little is being done to protect the farmworkers who are routinely exposed to high levels of toxic pesticides in the fields where they work and in communities where they live. They can be exposed at levels hundreds of times greater than consumers’ exposures to pesticides.

Pesticides pose risks of short- and longterm illness to farmworkers and their families.

Short-term (acute) effects may include stinging eyes, rashes, blisters, blindness, nausea, dizziness, headaches, coma, and even death.

Some long-term health impacts are delayed or not immediately apparent such as, infertility, birth defects, endocrine disruption, neurological disorders, and cancer. Workers who mix, load or apply pesticides (known as pesticide handlers) can be exposed to toxic pesticides due to spills and splashes, defective, missing or inadequate protective equipment, direct spray, or drift. Workers who perform hand labor tasks in areas that have been treated with pesticides face exposure from direct spray, drift or contact with pesticide residues on the crop or soil.

Pesticides can present a hazard to applicators, to harvesters reentering a sprayed field, to family members due to take-home contamination, and to rural residents via air, ground water and food. Workers may be exposed to pesticides in a variety of ways, including: working in a field where pesticides have recently been applied; breathing in pesticide “drift” from adjoining or nearby fields; working in a pesticide-treated field without appropriate PPE; eating with pesticide-contaminated hands; eating contaminated fruits and vegetables; and eating in a pesticide-contaminated field. Workers may also be exposed to pesticides if they drink from, wash their hands, or bathe in irrigation canals or holding ponds, where pesticides can accumulate.

Pesticide Exposure Incidents of pesticide exposure happen when farmworkers do not get adequate workplace protection and training from their employer to prevent and minimize them. Many incidents go unreported in the press and even to appropriate authorities. Several factors contribute to the underestimation of the problem, including the inability and apprehension of affected workers to get medical care, medical misdiagnosis, and the absence of a coordinated

Signs of Pesticide Exposure

• Headache • Fatigue • Dizziness • Diarrhea • Confusion • Excessive

• Slowed

Heartbeat • Loss of Coordination • Loss of Appetite and Nausea Sweating • Blurred Vision • Excessive and Excessive Salivation Tearing • Contracted • Central Pupils Nervous System Depression These symptoms may be mistaken for those of flu, heat stroke or heat exhaustion, or upset stomach. As with all pesticide exposure time is extremely sensitive. If a pesticide is swallowed or you feel you have these symptoms seek immediate medical care.

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national incident reporting system.

Pesticide exposure causes farmworkers to suffer more chemical-related injuries and illnesses than any other workforce nationwide.

Occupational exposure to pesticides poisons as many as 20,000 farmworkers every year, according to estimates by the EPA. The numbers are likely much higher.

Farmworkers are exposed to pesticides in a variety of ways. Workers who perform hand labor tasks in treated areas risk exposure from direct spray, aerial drift, or contact with pesticide residues on the crop or soil. Workers who mix, load, or apply pesticides can be exposed to pesticides due to spills, splashes, and defective, missing or inadequate protective equipment.

Even when not working in the fields, farmworker families, especially children, are also at risk of elevated pesticide exposure. Workers bring pesticides into their homes in the form of residues on their tools, clothes, shoes, and skin. They inadvertently expose their children through a hug if they cannot shower after work.

The close proximity of agricultural fields to residential areas results in aerial drift of pesticides into farmworkers’ homes, schools, and playgrounds. Some schoolyards are directly adjacent to fields of crops that are sprayed with pesticides.

Pesticide exposure is an unavoidable reality for farmworkers and their families because pesticides are in the air they breathe, the water they drink, the food they eat, and the soil they cultivate. This general overview can help Farmworkers and their families be proactive in understanding pesticide risks, including how to avoid and treat pesticides’ exposure.

Wednesday October 23 10 am & 4pm

Worker Protection Standards on Pesticide Safety

T

he Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees pesticide use through the Worker Protection Standards (WPS). The WPS is a regulation for agricultural pesticides, to help reduce the risk of pesticide poisonings and injuries among agricultural workers and pesticide handlers. The WPS protects employees on farms, forests, nurseries, and greenhouses from occupational exposure to agricultural pesticides.

Administered by the EPA, the WPS contains requirements for safety measures such as pesticide safety training for farmworkers, notification of pesticide applications, and emergency medical assistance.

Who is covered by the WPS?

The WPS requires owners and employers on agricultural establishments and commercial pesticide handling establishments to protect employees on farms, forests, nurseries, and greenhouses from occupational exposure to agricultural pesticides. The regulation covers two types of workers: n Pesticide handlers -- those who mix, load, or apply agricultural pesticides; clean or repair pesticide application equipment; or assist with the application of pesticides in any way. n Agricultural workers -- those who perform tasks related to the cultivation and harvesting of plants on farms or in greenhouses, nurseries, or forests. Workers include anyone employed for any type of compensation (including self-employed) doing tasks -- such as carrying nursery stock, repotting plants, or watering -- related to the production of agricultural plants on an agricultural establishment. Workers do not include office employees, truck drivers, mechanics, and any others not engaged in handling, cultivation, or harvesting activities.

The WPS contains requirements for pesticide safety training, notification of pesticide

applications, use of personal protective equipment, and restricted-entry intervals after pesticide application, decontamination supplies, and emergency medical assistance.

Chemicals must be properly labeled so farmworkers know the identity and hazards of the chemicals they may be exposed to at work. OSHA information helps employers and workers ensure that hazard communication is properly addressed in their workplaces.

In addition, certain OSHA standards address hazard communications. Pesticides covered under Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) are exempt from the OSHA labeling requirements since EPA regulates these labels. The FIFRA is a United States federal law that set up the basic U.S. system of pesticide regulation to protect applicators, consumers, and the environment. To find out more information visit their website at www.osha.gov or call 1(800) 321-6742.

What Does the WPS Require?

The requirements in the WPS are intended to inform workers and handlers about pesticide safety, provide protections from potential exposure to pesticides, and mitigate exposures that do occur.

Inform n Pesticide safety training for workers and handlers. n Access to specific information for workers

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and handlers, including: • pesticide applications on the establishment; • safety data sheets for pesticides applied on the establishment; and • pesticide safety information (poster) that includes emergency information. n Access to labeling information for pesticide handlers and early-entry workers. n Notify workers about pesticide-treated areas so they can avoid inadvertent exposures. n Information exchange between agricultural employers and commercial pesticide handler employers.

Protect n Keep workers and other people out of areas being treated with pesticides. n Keep workers and other people away from pesticide application equipment (out of the application exclusion zones) during applications. n Handlers suspend applications if workers or people are near pesticide application equipment (in the application exclusion zone) during applications. n Keep workers out of areas that are under a restricted-entry interval (REI), with a few narrow exceptions. n Protect early-entry workers who are doing permitted tasks in pesticide-treated areas during an REI, including special instructions and duties related to correct use of personal protective equipment. n Monitor handlers using highly toxic pesticides. n Provide and maintain required personal Continued on next page

Public Charge

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ublic Charge is a term used in immigration law to refer to a person who is or might be dependent on public programs as their main source of support. Effective October 15, 2019, the Federal Government can deny entry into the United States, or adjustment to lawful permanent resident status, for individuals determined likely to become a public charge.

This rule only applies in specific circumstances and to specific public benefits programs. The rule is not applicable to all immigrants.*

If you are currently using public benefits, please use this time to understand whether this rule applies to your case before making a decision regarding your public benefits.

To understand if this regulation is relevant to you or your family, you may seek qualified legal advice, to have accurate information to make the best decision for the health and

WPS Continued from page 4 protective equipment to handlers. n If a respirator is required by a pesticide label, provide the handler with a medical evaluation, fit test and respirator training.

Mitigate n Decontamination supplies including a sufficient supply of water, soap and towels for routine washing and emergency

well-being of you and your family.

For further information please see the below resources, including a list of nonprofit legal services providers located across California. n California Health and Human Services Agency — Public Charge Guide (available in multiple languages) www.chhs.ca.gov/ decontamination and eyewash systems for certain handlers. n Emergency assistance by making transportation available to a medical care facility in case of a pesticide injury or poisoning, and providing information about the pesticide(s) to which the person may have been exposed.

For information on how to handle a pesticide poisoning, call the National Pesticide Information Center at 1(800) 858-7378

blog/2019/09/11/california-healthand-human-services-agency-publiccharge-guide/ n Understanding the “public charge” rule protectingimmigrantfamilies.org * The public charge regulation does not apply to lawful permanent residents (green card holders) applying for citizenship, refugees, asylees, Special Immigrant Juveniles (SIJs), certain trafficking victims (T nonimmigrants), victims of qualifying criminal activity (U nonimmigrants), or victims of domestic violence (VAWA self-petitioners), among others.

Source: CA Immigrant Guide; California Health and Human Services; The Protecting Immigrant Families/Advancing Our Future Campaign

or call Poison Control Center at 1(800) 222-1222.

Other Resources

U.S. Department of Labor: Occupational Safety and Health Administration Call 1(800) 321-6742 or visit the website at www.osha.gov.

Sources: www.farmworkerjustice.org/resources www.epa.gov/pesticide-worker-safety/case-pesticidepoisoning www.osha.gov/dsg/topics/agriculturaloperations/haz-

Agricultural Jobs available to U.S. workers under H-2A contract You may apply for these jobs by phone or in person at your nearest Employment Development Department (EDD) field office CalJOBS Number

Job Openings

Start Date

End Date Last Day to Apply

County

Commodity

Activity

AJCC

Phone

16785220

85

11/04/19

05/10/20

02/06/20

Imperial

Lettuce, Bell Pepper, Brussel Sprouts

Harvest, Weeding, Packing, General Farm Work

El Centro

(760)339-2722

16729957

98

10/01/19

01/31/20

12/01/19

Riverside

Citrus and Grapes

Harvest and pruning of lemons, pruning of grapes and CalVan Driver

Indio

(760)863-2500

16740364

100

10/01/19

01/31/20

12/01/19

Riverside, Imperial

Citrus, Peaches, Dates

Harvest, Irrigation, General Agriculture

Blythe

(760)640-3144

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EDDResources Resources EDD

Voice of the Fields California Circulation: 45,000 copies

Workforce Services AJCC Locator ...........................1-877-872-5627 CalJOBSSM ........................................................................1-800-758-0398 Monitor Advocate, Report work related complaints............................1-866-289-8356 e-mail:................................................................ madvocat@edd.ca.gov Unemployment Insurance English: ..........................................................................1-800-300-5616 Spanish: .........................................................................1-800-326-8937 Disability Insurance English: ........................................................................ 1-800-480-3287 Spanish: .........................................................................1-866-658-8846 Paid Family Leave English: ........................................................................ 1-877-238-4373 Spanish: ....................................................................... 1-877-379-3819 Ask EDD Request EDD information online:...................... askedd.edd.ca.gov

www.LaCooperativa.org

www.edd.ca.gov

H-2A Jobs

Published monthly by: La Cooperativa Campesina de California 1107 9th Street, Suite 420, Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone 916.388.2220 • Fax 916.388.2425 This product was funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.

The opinions expressed in this product are exclusive of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. This 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 permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.

Content produced by ALZA Strategies, a full-service strategy firm that offers quality media relations, crisis communications, public affairs services, and expertise into the growing Latino market.

Continued from page 5

CalJOBS Number

Job Openings

Start Date

End Date

Last Day to Apply

County

Commodity

Activity

AJCC

Phone

16745431

100

10/23/19

11/16/19

11/04/19

Fresno

Iceberg lettuce

Harvest, packing

Hanford

(559) 585-3540

16788971

100

11/04/19

05/31/20

02/16/20

Tulare, Fresno, Madera, Kern

Citrus

Harvest, Forklift Driver, Tree Pruning, General Labor

Delano

(661) 721-5800

16771792

120

10/28/19

05/15/20

02/05/20

Kern, Fresno, Tulare, and Madera

Lemon, Mandarin Orange

Harvesting and Row Boss

Delano

(661) 721-5800

16771416

134

10/28/19

05/17/20

02/06/20

Tulare, Kern, Fresno, Madera

Citrus

Harvest, Pickers, Truck, Tractor, CalVAN Driver, General Maintenance, General Labor

Delano

(661) 721-5800

16788671

155

11/11/19

04/15/20

01/28/20

Imperial and Riverside

Romaine, hearts and mixed leaf

Harvest, bag/pack/load, tractor/machine driver, CalVan Driver

Indio

(760) 863-2500

16734088

220

10/01/19

06/30/20

02/14/20

Ventura

Celery and Lettuce

Harvest, Shed, General Labor, Calvan Driver, Tractor Driver

Oxnard

(805) 288-8400

16769913

610

11/11/19

04/04/20

01/22/20

Imperial, CA & Yuma, AZ

artisan lettuce, romaine lettuce, mixed lettuce, iceberg lettuce, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower

Harvesting

El Centro

(760) 339-2722

Various

Various

Various

Various

Various

Various locations

Sheep, Goats, Cattle

Herding

Various

Contact your local AJCC Office

The H-2A temporary agricultural program allows agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of domestic workers to bring nonimmigrant foreign workers to the U.S. to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature. The H-2A employers must demonstrate that qualified U.S. workers are not available for the job and the employment of temporary foreign workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers similarly employed. Preference in hiring will be given to qualified U.S. workers before employers are allowed to bring in foreign workers under the program.

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