Farmworker's death prompts calls for Calif. reform

[AlphaCentauri]

Source: El Paso Times

LODI, Calif.—The death of a pregnant teenager pruning grape vines in 100-degree heat has outraged the farmworking community and sparked calls for safety reforms as laborers prepare for the long summer harvest.
On Wednesday, 500 farmworkers and their advocates capped a poignant, four-day march to the statehouse demanding safer conditions on thousands of vineyards and orchards.

Authorities in California—the only state with a heat-illness standard—suspect Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, a 17-year-old undocumented Mexican immigrant, collapsed last month because her farm labor contractor denied employees proper access to shade and water.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Mexican government have called her death preventable. State officials say they have revoked the company's license.



Read more: http://www.elpasotimes.com/business/ci_9486361