The Voice of the Fields October

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

November 2014

Spotlight on Services

FREE

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ach day, La Cooperativa Campensina de California provides job training, employment assistance, and other resources to California farmworkers and their families. These services are offered through a group of advocates and service providers throughout the state of California. There are five La Cooperativa member organizations that currently operate 66 service centers throughout 31 California counties, offering comprehensive service packages to rural, agricultural regions.

Central Valley Opportunity Center One member agency is the Central Valley Opportunity Center, Inc. (CVOC).

CVOC is a non-profit employment training and service provider serving the California counties of Merced, Madera and Stanislaus. Agriculture is the leading employment sector in CVOC’s service area. In addition to creating farm employment, the area’s agricultural activities stimulate jobs in food processing, transportation, light agriculture industry, and wholesale and retail trades.

CVOC’s mission is to provide services that improve the quality of life for farm workers and others in need.

The agency carries out this mission by partnering with government and private agencies to provide programs geared at breaking the cycle of poverty in Central California. CVOC primarily receives funding through federal, state and local grants.

CVOC has been providing services in the Central Valley that serve farm worker and low-income populations for over 35 years. The agency operates

numerous employment, educational, economic development and social service programs. Over the last twentyfive years, CVOC has operated major programs for the Department of Labor, Department of Community Service and Development, Department of Education, State of California, local government programs and private foundations.

Volume 24, Number 10

CVOC services include vocational education, remedial education, English Language instruction, housing assistance, energy payment assistance, emergency supportive services, transportation, emergency food, youth employment, health care acquisition, childcare services and community education services.

One alumni of CVOC who received welding training offered what his experience with CVOC has meant to him by saying, “CVOC helped me find a job after my training. After four months, I have already gotten a raise and I am on my way to being a foreman. CVOC helps workers like me find better jobs with higher pay.”

Because of its service area, CVOC specializes in programs tailored to agricultural communities, including pesticide safety training, crop freeze disaster relief, and seasonal worker dislocation services.

An example of one service is the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Program. Through this program, farmworkers and dependents of farmworkers are assisted in obtaining permanent and higher paying employment opportunities. CVOC also provides some emergency services to migrant and seasonal farmworkers, Continued on next page

Spotlight on Services Continued from previous page

mainly in the form of food and transportation.

CVOC has effectively provided a comprehensive package of services to over a 100,000 customers.

The CVOC has three offices within the Central Valley to assist you. They are: Stanislaus Satellite Training Center Frank M. Torrez Center 1581 Cummins Dr., Suite 100 Modesto, CA 95358 (209)577-3210 Merced Training Center 6838 Bridget Court P.O. Box 1389 Winton, CA 95388 (209) 357-0062 Madera Satellite Training Center 455 S. Pine, Suite 101 Madera, CA 93637 (559) 662-0100 To get more info or to see how the Central Valley Opportunity Center may be able to assist you, visit www.cvoc.org.

Employers’ Training Resource One of the other helpful member agencies of La Cooperative is the Employers’ Training Resource (ETR).

ETR is a department within the County of Kern that houses the Workforce Investment Boards for Kern, Inyo, and Mono County.

ETR simultaneously provides services to both local businesses and the local workforce through programs in eco-

nomic development, job recruitment and placement, and vocational training. ETR implements its services through several one-stop centers and also connects employment seekers to other services such as education classes.

The goals of ETR include: n Economic Development: promoting and supporting the economic development of the communities. n Assisting employers: providing no-cost recruiting and screening, assistance with downsizing and other services n Assisting job seekers: providing nocost training, job placement services and other job-hunting resources n Assisting farm workers: providing nocost training as well as other resources.

ETR’s focus on training the workforce for the needs of the local economy and providing assistance to businesses in the

Employers’ Training Resource

hiring process is clear. Each year, ETR has assisted over 3,500 workers through specialized programs and grants. In 2013, there were 142 workers who received On-the-Job Training leading to a new, well-paying job.

The ETR is given funding support through the National Farmworkers Job Program (NFJP), a nationally-directed program providing employment, training services and housing assistance to migrant and seasonal farmworkers. As part of their support to farmworkers, the ETR offers English as a Second Language classes, GED classes and Job Search

workshops for seasonal farmworkers.

In a recent annual report, ETR highlighted one of their many successful alumni. Alumni Joaquin Heraldez was nominated and received the National Farmworker Jobs Program Excellence Award for Outstanding Seasonal Farmworker that has been successful in moving out of farm labor into a new career.

Joaquin had little education and limited English skills when he moved to the United States so he worked in farm labor for over twenty years, but through the NFJP Program he received training in maintenance and welding and received numerous certifications that helped him obtain employment outside of farm labor.

He is currently employed with a local oilfield construction company, KSI as a Well Preparer and is making a much higher wage than he ever did as a farm worker.

Continued on last page

Voice of the Fields California Circulatiosn: 45,000 copies www.LaCooperativa.org 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.

Important Time for Covered California and Health Insurance

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eginning late last year, California set out to enroll individuals, families and small businesses in health insurance plans through a new program called Covered California. Covered California is the easy-to-use marketplace implementing the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in California.

Through Covered California, individuals and families are able to compare affordable, quality health insurance options and select a plan that best fits their needs and budget. By law, the coverage cannot be dropped or denied due to pre-existing medical conditions or if the policyholder gets sick. Financial assistance is also available to those who qualify to make health coverage more affordable.

In 2014, Covered California successfully enrolled 1.3 million individuals in health insurance plans.

Millions of others learned that they qualified for free or low-cost health coverage through Medi-Cal. Included in those who are receiving coverage are more than 82,000 families, representing 130,105 individuals, who cleared their eligibility status by providing Covered California with proof of legal status. Covered California announced earlier this month that it has been able to clear the citizenship/ lawful presence status of the vast majority of individuals who were sent notices seeking verification documents in September, meaning that pre-termination notices have been sent to cases involving only 10,474 people. Covered California noted that the lack of verification does

not necessarily mean that the individual is not lawfully present, only that the program does not have documents it needs to verify their status, and continues to review case information.

Now, the renewal process for coverage in 2015 is beginning for the millions of individuals who found coverage through Covered California.

The first wave of renewal notices began being sent in early October.

Consumers who complete the renewal process will hear from their insurance plans in December and their selected health plan will send a statement reflecting coverage starting January 1, 2015. Consumers who take no action will be renewed into their existing plan. Anyone with Medi-Cal will

be contacted directly if they need to take any action.

At the same time the renewal process has begun, Covered California is also gearing up for open enrollment, which will begin November 15 and continue through February 15. Open enrollment is the next opportunity for all Californians to benefit from the new federal insurance rules, including the requirement that insurance be offered regardless of health status.

Consumers will be able to enroll for health coverage online, by phone or in person with free assistance.

In preparation for the renewal and open enrollment process and to ensure a good consumer experience, Covered California unveiled substantial new improvements to facilitate enrollment in coverage for 2015.

In a statement from Covered California, Executive Director Peter V. Lee said, “last year, we succeeded in signing up millions of Californians in health coverage through Covered California and Medi-Cal. We learned a great deal in the process, and in this second open enrollment we are building on those lessons using effective and concrete changes.”

To improve customer service and assist those interested in enrolling, Covered California is making improvements, including: n Starting open enrollment with more than double the number of Service Center representatives to dramatically reduce wait times and help consumers enroll. n Additional representatives have Continued on last page

Spotlight on Service The ETR locations also work closely with One-Stop Career centers to provide counseling, vocational training for in-demand jobs, work experience, assistance with job searches, access to services needed for job searches, referrals to job openings, and supportive services,

including referrals to receive emergency medical, shelter and food services.

Additionally, Employers’ Training Resource has strong working relationships with many employers in Kern County, which helps to place job-seekers in long term, year-round employment.

To locate the closest Employers’ Training Resource center to you, call toll free 1 (800) 203-2623, or visit www. etronline.com. There, you will find a list of the centers with local addresses and phone numbers.

Covered California

Friday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday. In addition, the Service Center will be open on many Sundays during open enrollment, including every Sunday from Nov. 16 through Dec. 15. n The program is ensuring written notices consumers receive are clearer and explanations on the website are better — in both English and Spanish.

With open enrollment beginning soon, consumers can begin the process of shopping for 2015 coverage. Using Covered California’s Shop and Compare Tool, consumers can find out if they are eligible for financial assistance and find out how much a health plan will cost them.

Those interested in enrolling in health insurance through Covered California will find a range of choices of private health insurance plans offered.

been brought on to serve callers in Spanish, Chinese and other languages without the use of interpreters. n Service Center hours have been expanded to accommodate consumers after hours, with representatives now available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through

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 Active

CalJobs Number

Job Title

Pay Rates

Contract Dates

Positions

City of Job

Employer’s County (for ECMS)

EDD Workforce Service Site Office

1

14184433

Farmworkers Avocado, Lemon

$11.01 Hr.

11/20/14 - 9/18/15

20

Santa Paula

Ventura

Oxnard WS (805)3828610

2

14178000

Farmworkers Lettus

$11.01 Hr.

11/17/14 - 3/31/15

750

Bard

Imperial

El Centro WS (760)863-2600

3

14194717

Beekeeper

$11.01 Hr.

12/01/14 04/01/15

3

Wasco/Shafter

Kern

Bakersfield WS (661)3254473

4

14213416

Beekeeper

$11.01 Hr.

01/01/15 11/01/15

5

Waterford

Stanislaus

Modesto WS (209)5766118

5

13898523

Farmworkers Sheepherder

$1600.34 Mo.

on-going

206

California and Western States

California and Western States

Selected EDD WSB Offices

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.