Labor firm ordered to cease again-It was shut down temporarily after teen worker died

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http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080704/A_NEWS/807040326/-1/A_NEWS

By Jennie Rodriguez
Record Staff Writer
July 04, 2008 6:00 AM

KEYES - Atwater-based Merced Farm Labor Services, which had been allowed to resume contracting agriculture laborers for farmers as of June 26 after being ordered by the state to stop after a teen worker died, was again ordered to cease operating Thursday.

The stop-work order is based on heat violations found at a Keyes vineyard in Stanislaus County, where the contractor provided laborers. Inspectors with the state division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the contractor for not providing workers with adequate shade from the heat, said Paul Feist, a spokesman for the California Labor and Development Agency, which oversees Cal/OSHA.

The state is in the process of revoking the contractor license of owner Maria De Colugna, Feist said. De Colugna is under investigation in connection with the death of Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, a Lodi 17-year-old who died of heat exhaustion in May after working at a Farmington vineyard under the contractor's supervision. De Colugna had previously been fined in 2006 for a heat violation, which has not been paid to date, Feist said.

After Jimenez's death, inspectors cited the contractor again in June for not meeting heat standards at a south San Joaquin County vineyard. State officials issued a stop-work order until the contractor came into compliance. The order was lifted June 26.

Now Merced Farm Labor has failed to meet heat illness prevention standards just one week after being reinstated.

De Colugna said Thursday: "I have no comment right now, because I'm trying to deal with Cal/OSHA."

FULL story at link.



Add your name to the online condolence card for the family of Maria Isabel, 17-year old heat victim.

Tell Maria’s mother, Jovita, that you care.

We told you about the tragic death of 17-year-old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez who died due to heat stroke while laboring in a Stockton area vineyard.

Hundreds responded by donating to help fund the pilgrimage the UFW held in honor of Maria Isabel and the 10 other California farm workers who have died due to heat exhaustion over the past 4 years. Almost 3,000 supporters sent Maria’s family beautiful personal notes of condolence which we’ve shared with her grieving mother, Jovita, and the rest of her family.

To date no one from the companies involved has had the decency to express condolences to Maria's family--not the farm labor contractor, not the company who owns the field where Maria labored, nor the wine distributor. There have been no letters, no one showed up at the funeral--nothing. The only reaction they had was to try to shift part of the blame of Maria’s death onto her fiancé, Florentino.

We want to let Maria’s family know that people from all over North America care about this tragedy—that people from all walks of life and of all backgrounds recognize the value of Maria’s life and death. Tell the family that you share the sorrow of Maria’s death and pledge to do what you can, so other farm worker families do not have to endure the same agony.

It is very easy to participate. We have put together a simple sign-on condolence letter that we will share with Jovita and the rest of Maria’s family.

Sign the card by clicking here and adding your name and the city and state where you live: http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/maria_condolence?qp_source=web

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