AMERICAN LABOUR:
THE KILLING FIELDS OF CALIFORNIA:


The summer is not yet over, and already six workers have died of heat stroke in the fields of California. This is despite the existence of many and sundry laws that exist but are simply not enforced. Here's the latest story from the United Farm Workers, and their appeal for your solidarity.

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Tell CA legislators it has to end. A 6th farm worker just died from probable heat related causes:
E-mail California legislators today!
Maria de Jesus Alvarez, 63, mother of nine died on August 2. Maria had been picking table grapes for Anthony Vineyards and was employed through farm labor contractor Manuel Torres during the afternoon of July 15. She began feeling ill and went home. According to witnesses, she was working in a crew of 150 workers and they had no shade nor had they received training in heat stroke prevention and precautions as mandated by state law. According to weather.com, the high that day was 111 degrees.





After Maria's condition deteriorated, she was taken to a hospital on July 29. The doctor determined she was severely dehydrated and had suffered heat stroke. After being treated and admitted by two different hospitals, Maria died on Aug. 2.





Maria's death makes six farm workers deaths that are being or have been investigated because of heat-related causes since May. This brings to 15 the number of farm workers whose death have been investigated as heat-related since CA Governor Schwarzenegger took office.
These recent deaths make it clear the state does not have the capacity to protect farm workers. As California's summer sizzles we must do everything we can to ensure that no more farm workers fall victim to the heat because the laws written to protect them are not enforced. Speaker Emeritus Fabian Nunez has introduced secret ballot legislation which has moved out of the assembly and which is now in the state senate. The bill, "Secret Ballot Elections for Farm Workers", protects farm workers' right to a secret ballot election and will make it easier for farm workers to organize and enforce the laws that the state cannot enforce.





Please take action immediately and click to send an e-mail to California legislators and tell them something needs to be done NOW. It's time to put a law in place that will allow farm workers to protect themselves!
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Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to the California authorities:





I am appalled to learn that another farm worker just died. Maria's death makes six farm workers deaths that are being or have been investigated because of heat-related causes since May. This brings to 15 the number of farm workers whose death have been investigated as heat-related since CA Governor Schwarzenegger took office. How can we accept this?







In 2006 the governor enacted California's first permanent heat regulations. Unfortunately the laws on the books are not the laws in the fields and farm workers keep on dying. Six farm workers who died of heat exposure since May and the 15th farm worker heat death since CA Governor Schwarzenegger took office. Here are their stories:







*Maria de Jesus Alvarez, 63, mother of nine died on August 2. Maria had been picking table grapes for Anthony Vineyards and was employed through farm labor contractor Manuel Torres during the afternoon of July 15. She began feeling ill and went home. According to witnesses, she was working in a crew of 150 workers and they had no shade nor had they received training in heat stroke prevention and precautions as mandated by state law. After her condition deteriorated, Alvarez was taken to a hospital on July 29. The doctor determined she was severely dehydrated and had suffered heat stroke. After being treated and admitted by two different hospitals, Maria died on Aug. 2.
*Jorge Herrera, 37, died working for a labor contractor at Vignolo Vineyards loading table grapes on August 31. He passed out July 10 and was taken to the hospital. His core body temperature was 108 degrees, the same as the high temperature reported that day by the National Weather Service.
*Ramiro Carrillo Rodriguez, 48, father of two, died in Selma, CA on July 10th after working all day for Sun Valley Packing in Reedley thru a farm labor contractor.
*Farm worker Abdon Felix Garcia, 42, father of three, died after spending the morning and early afternoon of July 9th working for Sunview Vineyards in Arvin. The coroner says Felix's core body temperature was measured at 108 degrees just 13 minutes before his death.
*Jose Macarena Hernandez, 64, died during a record-breaking heat wave on June 20 while harvesting butternut squash in Santa Maria on land owned by Sunrise Growers. He was buried on Friday.
*And then there was the heat death of 17 year-old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez who died while laboring in the Stockton area grape vines.







When the governor came to Maria Isabel's funeral he promised to do everything possible to prevent this from happening again. But it is clear with these recent farm workers deaths that the state does not have the capacity to protect farm workers.







Unless and until we empower farm workers in the workplace farm workers will continue to die unnecessarily.







Speaker Emeritus Fabian Nunez has introduced secret ballot legislation which has moved out of the assembly and which is now in the state senate. The bill, "Secret Ballot Elections for Farm Workers", protects farm workers' right to a secret ballot election and will make it easier for farm workers to organize and enforce the laws that the state cannot enforce.







As California's summer sizzles we must do everything we can to insure that no more farm workers fall victim to the heat because the laws written to protect them are not enforced. Please support this bill and protect the people who labor so hard in the fields.
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But that's not all. Here's a further appeal from the United Farm Workers for support for their upcoming protest at the state capital of Sacramento.

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Hundreds of workers to go to Sacramento this Monday, Aug. 18 to lobby to protect themselves from the heat.:
You can help!
This Monday, August 18, more than 800 farm workers from throughout California want to go to Sacramento. They want the chance to tell the governor and their elected officials to support AB2386, "Secret Ballot Elections for Farmworkers" (D-Nunez) which has moved out of the assembly and which will be voted on that afternoon in the state senate.



Six farm workers deaths are being or have been investigated because of heat-related causes since May. This brings to 15 the number of farm workers whose death have been investigated as heat-related since CA Governor Schwarzenegger took office. These recent deaths make it clear the state does not have the capacity to protect farm workers. As California's summer sizzles we must do everything we can to ensure that no more farm workers fall victim to the heat because the laws written to protect them are not enforced.



The vital legislation that Nunez has introduced--and the workers want to go to Sacramento and lobby for--protects farm workers' right to a secret ballot election and will make it easier for farm workers to organize and enforce the laws that the state cannot enforce.



Your donation can help us rent 14 buses, additional vans, plus pay for food and other supplies which will cost in excess of $31,770 for the day. There is nothing more powerful than hearing a farm worker story face-to-face, especially to lawmakers.



Doroteo Jimenez, grape worker and uncle of farm worker who died in May because of the heat.:
I want to go to Sacramento and speak to the legislators. My niece Maria Isabel died because growers treat us like tools instead of like people. I spoke up and I was unjustly fired. This needs to change now. I don't want to see other families suffer like our family has. This bill can change farm workers' lives for the better. Please help us.



Margarita Hernandez, grape worker
The reason for me to go to Sacramento is because I want changes in the working conditions at my job and the other companies. In the place where I work, Sun Pacific, we don't have shade and the drinking water is without ice until 9 am—though they know that by that hour it is already hot. There have been people have felt sick from the heat and the company people always ask if they feel bad because of something they ate...I feel there is no respect for the farm worker, even though many farm workers have died. The companies don't change their treatment towards the farm workers. That is why I am going to Sacramento. I have the hope that one day, we will be treated better.



Just to rent the buses and vans needed, will cost $26,570 and that does not cover the food and other supplies needed. We hope our internet supporters would contribute $5,510 towards this expense. This will cover the transportation costs of 140 workers at $39.36 per worker.
Can you make sure Doroteo, Margarita and others get seats on the bus?

Please make your donation today!
https://secure.ga6.org/08/lobbyday08

Please share this e-mail with your friends.
PS: If you live in the area, please join us at the Capitol from 10-4.



Also, if you are in the Sacramento area Monday, August 18 at 7 pm, you are invited to attend a special screening of a new film, California's Harvest of Shame--a short film showing the realities of life in the fields in 2008. You must RSVP to attend. To RSVP click to send an e-mail to or call (916) 319-2046.
Click more information.