Written by Yelisa Ambriz
If you reside in the fields and in the barrios of the Central Valley encountering farmworkers is inevitable. Whether it’s at a corner store during the early hours of the morning in Madera or Farmersville, or perhaps along highway 180 where workers, dressed in tattered clothes, gather in their beat up silver hondas and white vans. Each day they stand ready to face the oppressive triple digit heat, a dusting of pesticides, and the all too frequent abuse that has sadly become customary. Despite farmworkers consistently making headlines, due to tragic deaths in the workplace new state policies are being proposed and passed in California’s state legislature without consultation of farmworkers. This lack of inclusion has sparked extreme concerns, frustration, and disappointments among these essential workers.
Agricultural workers often lack documentation status and live paycheck to paycheck, complying with hazardous conditions at their workplaces, due to fear of losing their jobs. Often they remain silent, instilling a sense of distrust, even towards the state labor agencies which are meant to protect them.
On February 7th, in response to these challenges, advocates, researchers, and farmworkers flooded the Capitol building to voice their concerns about state labor agencies’ failures, during a hearing held by the Assembly Labor Committee on Labor and Employment. The hearing brought attention to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s (Cal/OSHA) insufficient enforcement efforts which have fallen short of addressing the urgent needs of farmworkers, who face multiple barriers when attempting to file complaints.
The heart wrenching testimonies shared by farmworkers during the Labor Committee hearing demonstrate the complete loss of faith in CAL/OSHA. These stories, marked by condescending and patronizing agency staff, paint a picture of the challenges that farmworkers undergo when trying to file a workplace complaint.
Cristina, a farmworker from Madera, expressed concerns about CAL/OSHA inspectors giving employers advance notice of on-site inspections, which is illegal. Cristina stated that in August 2023, she “was harvesting figs and the foreman let her know, they’ll spend the first two hours of the next day cleaning” therefore allowing supervisors to pick up the workplace by the time OSHA inspectors arrive. Community Based organizations (CBOs) are working to equip workers with the tools necessary to protect themselves in the workplace, along with collaborating with agencies.
Since the February hearing, CAL/OSHA has announced that the Governor included in his January budget, the Rural Strategic Engagement Program, which would ensure increased investments within the proposed allocation to community-based organizations (CBOs). Specifically the program would invest $24.9 million over three years to enable the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR)and the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) to improve farmworker access to the state agencies tasked with protecting their labor rights.
The California Farmworker Coalition has led budget advocacy efforts to ensure that Community based organizations are involved in the design of the evaluation of the program. Amendments to increase the amount that CBOs get for ‘hosting clinics’ to $3 million instead of $2 million to allow for CBOs to implement what they call ‘expert navigators’ who will aid workers during inspections was also included in the budget bill.
As the collaborating agencies prepare to share the Rural Strategic Engagement Request for Proposal, the inclusion of community comments and feedback will be crucial in shaping the program that addresses the needs and rights of farmworkers.