http://www.camajorityreport.com/index.php?module=articles&func=display&aid=3412&ptid=9It's been said here before, and it'll be said again. The United Farm Workers may not be one of the largest unions in California, but in many ways, they represent a constituency that goes far beyond union rolls. Today, the union founded by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta endorsed Prop 2, a measure that would protect farm animals from inhumane treatment.
"At a time when farm workers are making tremendous sacrifices in the fields of California, we recognize the importance of supporting Prop 2, the type of sensible reform that improves public health and stops the worst animal cruelty on factory farms," said UFW President Arturo Rodriguez. "The founding principles of Prop 2 are the same as that of the Farm Worker Movement, built on the vision of Cesar Chavez. During his lifetime, he championed ‘kindness and compassion toward all living things.' He said: 'We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that the animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect them and love them as we love ourselves.'"
The UFW's stance in defense of the most basic needs of battery hens, veal calves, and impregnated pigs is touching, but it's worth remembering the real human toll imposed by factory farms too.
The American Public Health Association has called for a moratorium on factory farms because of their detrimental contribution to water and air quality. Moreover, by closely confining six to eight hens in crates so small that they cannot turn around or extend their wings in large warehouses stacked to the brim with as many as 125,000 hens, the conglomerates that own the 30 egg-producing factory farms in California -- and control almost all production in California -- have created a perfect environment for the spread of avian flu and other diseases transmitted from birds to humans. Clearly, the laborers who work in such retched conditions, on top of developing psychological issues due to the witnessing of daily systematic abuse, are also at a higher risk of exposure to potentially deadly diseases. In this way, it should come as no surprise that the union most closely identified with farm laborers would embrace a measure that helps improve some of the worst farm labor conditions in the state.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK5oCR5saLI&eurl=http://www.camajorityreport.com/index.php?module=articles&func=display&aid=3412&ptid=9
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