You wouldn’t believe what farm labor contractors are up to

[Omaha Steve]

https://secure.ga6.org/08/flc507/nOpS3S571YLQm?

The grape season is just starting to get underway in California's San Joaquin Valley. Many growers have stopped hiring workers directly. Instead, they hire "labor contractors" who supply workers. This allows growers to avoid taking responsibility for the conditions in their own fields. Labor contractors are often fly-by-night operations, which makes it difficult to hold them responsible for anything. Please donate to help us protect farm workers from the injustices they are forced to endure under farm labor contractors.

CA labor law requires that workers have ready access to bathrooms, water for washing, and clean water for drinking. However, many labor contractors ingnore this law by providing terrible toilet facilities and horrible drinking water.

Lucia Lopez harvested grapes for a farm labor contractor used by Hronis:
Sometimes it took four days until they washed the restrooms. There were only two restrooms for seventy people. They would place the clean restroom in front with the dirty ones in the back-- just in case the inspectors would come to check the restrooms.

Juan Jaimes harvested grapes for Russell Contracting last season:
The bathrooms were always kept unclean and without toilet paper. No hand washing soap or water was provided. There were times I had to work near a portable toilet and the odor was unbearable. However, I had to withstand the stench, for if anything was mentioned to the foreman, he would say, 'If you don’t like it, leave.'

Workers don’t even earn a living wage performing backbreaking work under such disgusting conditions. Most get only the state minimum wage.

Jose Luis Jimenez, who gets minimum wage, told us about the common practice of being made to work a few hours every week--for nothing! In addition Jose said workers are illegally forced to buy their own equipment.

Jose Lopez has been a grape worker for 35 years and talks about his experiences with farm labor contractors’ unbelievable greed and cruelty:
They don't pay us right...They just want to steal from the workers. They say go fast and we will pay you overtime, but when we receive the checks we don’t get overtime. Also they steal hours and sometimes they steal a day--eight hours. When the contratistas know the UFW is there they get scared and don't do anything, but when they don't see the union they continue to abuse us.

The work farm workers do to produce the food we eat is hard, hot work. The Attorney General's office has said they do not have the resources to fight these clear violations. However, A UFW contract can insure workers are treated with dignity and respect. And they get paid for the work they do.

We urgently need your help right now. We need your financial support to hold contractors – and ranch owners – accountable. Your gift of $10, $25, $50, $100 or even $500 will help us fight for the workers and help them win respect and fair treatment.

Please make your donation today: https://secure.ga6.org/08/flc507/nOpS3S571YLQm?

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. This has been going on here in the valley for years

not new to the San Joaquin

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. A few months ago, I heard from a friend who is a contractor here that another local contractor

was hiring undocumented workers for $1 an hour. I saw him again last week and he said now the guy is paying $1 a DAY! Since he is hiring undocumented workers and paying them under the table, no one is fussing about it except the labor community, since their union laborers are losing work over this.

And if the workers complain, there are a couple dozen ready to take their place.

Really stinks, eh?

[nosmokes]

3. we need a new label that not only certs organic but humane working

conditions and decent wages.

people need to start realising that you're making a political statement with every purchase you make, especially food.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Nothing new here-- look up "Harvest of Shame" and...

see how this has been going on for years even on Long Island, NY.

Between then and now, about 20 years ago I got involved with a farmworkers group out here and saw first hand how the workers were treated. Not entirely the horrorshow depicted in that piece, which is most likely a bit heavy handed to aid in the fundraising, but pretty badly. Hiring and managing seasonal farm labor is a bitch in a lot of areas, so contractors are the way to go.

Farm labor is exempted from most labor regulations and standards, so even with an administration that gives a shit not much will be done until the laws are changed.