Voice december 2013

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

December 2013

FREE

Volume 23, Number 12

The Services Provided by La Cooperativa Campesina de California and its Members

E

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, with a total of 80 offices, who work with La Cooperativa to provide a wide assortment of services to the farm-working community. In order to make these services convenient and accessible for the farm working population in CA, these offices are primarily located in rural areas where agricultural workers live.

The member agencies that work with La Cooperativa are the Center for Employment Training (CET), the California Human Development (CHD), the Central Valley Opportunity Center (CVOC), Employers’ Training Resource (ETR), and Proteus Inc. These organizations work to provide help through training, education and referral services to people seeking self-sufficiency and independence. In addition to helping to make farmworkers aware of these organizations and their services, La Cooperativa also features a monthly radio show on Radio Bilingüe, which highlights the important topics discussed in the Voice of the Fields newsletter.

By reading on, you will find a brief overview of La Cooperativa’s member organizations, including where they are located and some of the services each of them provide to agricultural workers.

The Center for Employment Training The CET has 17 centers located in five states. In California, the centers are located in Coachella, El Centro, Gilroy, Oxnard, Sacramento, Salinas, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Jose, Santa Maria, Soledad, Temecula and Watsonville. The CET offers hands-on training to adults including job counselors who can assist you with development of your resume as well as interview support. They offer referrals for childcare while parents are working, supportive services for food and health care, legal services, and classes including General Education Development training. They also offer vocational education training with different classes offered at each location.

The CET also offers various immigration services including legal consultations and research, assistance with family visa petitions, consular processing translation of documents, and legal permanent resident card renewal and replacement. One of its top immigration services is the Citizenship class, which helps teach students the basics of the U.S. naturalization exam.

From U.S. history and government, to English reading, writing and vocabulary; the Citizenship class also helps students with practice questions for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services interview.

CET provides English as Second language financial literacy classes to help Spanish speakers learn about banking, budgeting, credit, investing, loans and home mortgages while developing an understanding of the risks and benefits inside of the United States’ financial system. Following this class, the CET matches two dollars ($2) for every one dollar ($1) saved by students up to $675.

These funds are then to be used to pay for the naturalization application fee.

To locate the nearest Center for Employment Training to you, visit their website: http://cetweb.org/for-students/ locations/. You can also call 1 (800) 5332519 to speak with a representative.

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The Services Provided by La Cooperativa Campesina de California and its Members Continued from previous page

The California Human Development (Northern California)

CHD also operates a mobile classroom called Jobs on Wheels, which serves rural farmworkers in Northern California. This mobile classroom offers ESL instruction, The California Human Development pesticide safety training and job training works with La Cooperativa to improve for upgraded agricultural careers. The the lives of farmworkers and their families Jobs on Wheels program works with through education, vocational training, agricultural employers to bring convenient, English literacy training, life skills training, on-site programs to the farmworkers. on-the-job training, emergency services Located in Santa Rosa, Stockton, and and adult work experience. The compleMarysville, is the Anthony Soto Employment tion of this training will lead to a job placeTraining ment, and will also lead the farmworker Centers, and their families to have more producwhich offers tive and prosperous lives. For eligible farmworkers farmworkers, the CHD offers temporary additional vocational training not offered housing assistance as farmworkers move at other CHD centers. These vocational from seasonal to year-round employment. skills include, truck driving, welding, forklift Assistance provided through this program operating, shipping and receiving. includes hotel vouchers, rent, mortgage, In San Joaquin County, CHD provides utility bills, and other shelter needs. academic and career counseling to the children of Some of the services provided by La farmworkers who are having Cooperativa’s member agencies include: difficulties in n English as a Second Language (ESL) Training traditional school n Adult and family literacy training classrooms. This n Childcare program, the San n General Education Development Test (GED) training Joaquin CHD n Vocational or trade education WorkStart Youth n Basic education Program, pairs n Transportation students with n Emergency services, like food, medical and shelter coordinators who n Housing help students obtain a high n Assistance in applying for social services school diploma or n Job placement GED and continue n Counseling onto college. n Dislocated Agricultural Workers Program, which offers Emergency agricultural workers who recently lost their jobs due to lay support services off or business closure, help with job placement and other are offered services, including vocational classroom training, onto qualifying the-job training, counseling and job search assistance. participants who

require assistance. Those who need it, may receive emergency support services for rent, transportation, utilities, nutrition, child care, training materials, and other related needs to help them while they are enrolled in CHD training activities.

Participants not enrolled in training may also receive some of these same services if the need arises during agricultural unemployment.

If you would like more information about emergency services, job training, information about education, housing services and more, and you are located in Northern California, contact the CHD at 1(707) 523-1155, or visit their website at http://californiahumandevelopment. org/, to find the nearest CHD office that can assist you.

Central Valley Opportunity Center (Central California Valley) The mission of the Central Valley Opportunity Center is “to provide services that improve the quality of life for farm workers and others in need,” and the CVOC has been upholding this mission for 34 years.

The Central Valley Opportunity Center operates many employment, economic development and social service programs in central California.

The service area for the CVOC is the counties of Stanislaus, Merced and Madera. The CVOC Seasonal Farmworker services include vocational education, remedial education, English language education, housing assistance, emergency supportive services, emergency

food assistance, transportation, health care, childcare, energy assistance programs and more.

The CVOC works with individual farm workers to put them in a position to live independently and able to support his/her family.

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 1 (209)577-3210 Merced Training Center 6838 Bridget Court P.O. Box 1389 Winton, CA 95388 1 (209) 357-0062 Madera satellite Training Center 455 S. Pine, Suite 101 Madera, CA 93637 1 (559) 662-0100 You can also visit the website for the CVOC at http://www.cvoc.org/ home.html. There, you can find more information about the services and programs they provide.

Employers’ Training Resource If you live in the Kern, Inyo, or Mono Counties, you can benefit from the services that Employers’ Training Resource provides at the location nearest to you. The ETR is given funding support through the National Farmworkers Job Program, 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. 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 longterm, year-round employment.

To locate the closest Employers’ Training Resource center to you, call tollfree 1 (800) 203-2623, or visit http:// www.etronline.com/contact-locations.asp.

There, you will find a list of the centers with local addresses and phone numbers.

Proteus, Inc. Proteus is an education, employment and community service organization which provides services to the Central Valley (the counties of Tulare, Kern, Fresno and Kings) as well as Northern Los Angeles. Along with the vocational training and other services listed above, Proteus works with the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs to host farmworker safety programs.

Particular member organizations also provide: n n n n n

Immigration & Citizenship services Energy savings assistance Disability Services Treatment and Criminal Justice services One-Stop Career Centers coordinated by the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration

For those people without a means of transportation, Proteus provides a Mobile Employment Center which could help provide you with: n Internet access n Skills Assessment n Resume and Interview help n Job search assistance n Consultations with job specialists For those farmworkers who would like to take their educational goals further, Proteus Inc. offers academic scholarships to deserving students through a competitive application process.

Qualifying applicants must be lowincome farmworkers, low-income Proteus customers (within the last two years), or a family member of either category.

If you would like more information about scholarship opportunities offered through Proteus, Inc., please contact Elizabeth Camargo at 1 (559) 591-5701.

Proteus also works with energy companies throughout the State to offer families free or lower-cost energy services including new energy efficient appliances, replacement of old or broken furnaces and more. In addition, Proteus offers discounted energy bills for those who qualify through the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program.

If you are interested in learning more about these energy services, call 1 (888) 255-2142.

Visit the Proteus website to find a service center near you at http://www.proteusinc. org. You can also call 1 (888) 776-9998 to speak with a Proteus representative.

Employment Development Department As mentioned earlier in the article, La Cooperativa and its members are commit-

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The Services Provided by La Cooperativa Campesina de California and its Members Continued from prevvious page

ted to helping agricultural workers become better educated, self-sufficient members of California. To do so, La Cooperativa and its member organizations receive support from California’s Employment Development Department (EDD). To ensure all service members, and La Cooperativa, are giving farmworkers the most current information, they also work closely with the EDD to stay updated on employment news and information.

Voice of the Fields Newsletter and the La Cooperativa Campesina de California Monthly Radio Show

In addition to all of the services above, La Cooperativa develops, with support from the EDD, this Voice of the Fields Newsletter you are reading. Each month, this newsletter is distributed across the state to keep you informed about issues that could affect many parts of your life.

To supplement the Newsletter, each month, Radio Bilingue reporter Alma Martinez hosts a radio program providing you with in-depth information on issues discussed in the monthly Voice of the Fields newsletter. For each show, experts are invited come on and expand on the monthly newsletter topics. To find a Radio Bilingüe station near you, visit www.radiobilingue. org. You can also access past programs on the La Cooperativa website.

To learn more about La Cooperativa, visit their website at http://www.lacoop-

erativa.org/. There, you will also find links and information about the members and services mentioned above. You can also call 1 (916) 388-2220 to speak with someone at La Cooperativa Campesina de California.

Voice of the Fields California Circulation: 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

Produced with the support of the Employment Development Department Voice of the Fields may be reproduced

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

14015754

Farm Workers, Avocado and Citrus

$10.74

2/3/14 - 12/1/14

13

Bonsall

San Diego

Oceanside WS (760) 414-3582

1.125

14008199

Beekeeper

$11.00

1/15/14 - 11/15/14

10

Newcastle

Placer

Sacramento WS (916)227-0301

2.125

14007711

Beekeeper

$11.00

12/31/13-10/31/14

15

Oak Hills

San Bernardino

San Bernardino (909) 382-0440

3.125

14007605

Beekeeper

$11.00

1/1/14 - 11/1/14

5

Waterford

Stanislaus

Stockton (209) 468-3500

4.125

14004918

Beekeeper

$11.00

1/1/14 - 11/1/14

4

Shaftner

Kern

Bakersfield WS (661 )635-2600

5.125

14004444

Beekeeper

$11.00

1/5/14 - 5/5/14

8

Shaftner

Kern

Bakersfield WS (661) 635-2600

6.125

14007583

Beekeeper

$11.00

1/1/14 - 10/31/14

4

Lake Isabella

Kern

Bakersfield WS (661) 635-2600

7.125

14003572

Beekeeper

$11.00

1/1/14 - 6/1/14

4

Madera

Madera

Fresno WS (559 )445-5249

8.125

13898523

Farm Worker, Sheepherder

$1422.52 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.