Farm workers are a particularly vulnerable group, not covered by the National Labor Relations Act and including many undocumented immigrants. In California, where the vast number of farms dwarfs the number of health and safety inspectors tasked with protecting farm workers, the best chance for improving working conditions may lie in unionizing workers, just as a recent study found a significant safety advantage for union mines.
The California state legislature has passed versions of the Fair Treatment for Farm Workers Act three times only to see it vetoed by Arnold Schwarzenegger each time. Today, following its passage once more, more than 1,000 farm workers and supporters delivered the bill to Gov. Jerry Brown's office, urging him to sign it. The bill:
would give California’s 400,000 farm workers an alternative to traditional, on-the-job polling place elections to decide on union representation. Under the new process, farm workers would fill out state-issued ballots in privacy.
At present, many farm workers fear participating in union elections because the secret-ballot process established in 1975 in California has been subverted. Time and again, anti-union employers fire and threaten farm workers who want union representation. And, on election days growers watch farm workers casting their ballots helping ensure a “No Union” vote.
The group delivering the bill to Gov. Brown included relatives of Maria Isavel Vasquez Jimenez, a 17 year old farm worker who died of heat stroke in 2008. Also apparently Eva Longoria.
Jerry Brown has twelve days to sign the bill and show he's better for farm workers than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sign the petition telling Jerry Brown to make the Fair Treatment for Farm Workers Act law.
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