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Articles for Farmworkers

Column: Trump’s promised deportations are on a collision course with a California economy built on hypocrisy
2 days, 1 hour ago

Column: Trump’s promised deportations are on a collision course with a California economy built on hypocrisy

LA Times  

This country has always had a hypocritical relationship with the undocumented workers who keep America’s agricultural, construction and hospitality industries humming. Can’t get more essential than that.” In the mid-1980s, when he managed cantaloupe fields, federal government pilots would fly small planes over the state’s cropland looking for large crews of workers, he recalled. The pilots would radio information about …

Immigration Work Border Patrol Workers Country Del This Country
California farmers were big Trump backers. They may be on collision course over immigrant deportation
4 weeks, 1 day ago

California farmers were big Trump backers. They may be on collision course over immigrant deportation

LA Times  

A paradox has settled across California’s velvet green fields and orchards. “Most farmers are realizing that they’re going to need to implement the H-2A program at some level to assure that they have labor,” Scaroni said. “Undocumented people are the ones who are really doing the tough work,” she said, “because we need to make money to feed our children …

Labor Farmers Trump Work Workers Deportation California
As atmospheric river soaks California, farmworkers await flood aid promised in 2023
1 month ago

As atmospheric river soaks California, farmworkers await flood aid promised in 2023

Associated Press  

After flood waters from heavy rainstorms deluged two small farmworker towns in January 2023, California set aside $20 million each for the communities to rebuild. As of this month, about $4 million of the $20 million in state aid designated for Planada had been spent, the bulk of that in direct payments to families, Merced County spokesperson Mike North said. …

Flood Families California State Help County Million
Cluster of farmworkers diagnosed with rare animal-borne disease in Ventura County
1 month ago

Cluster of farmworkers diagnosed with rare animal-borne disease in Ventura County

LA Times  

A cluster of workers at Ventura County berry farms have been diagnosed with a rare disease often transmitted through sick animals’ urine, according to a public health advisory distributed to local doctors by county health officials Tuesday. Ventura County Public Health has not given an official case count but said it had not identified any cases outside of the agriculture …

Health Disease County Ventura Ventura County Ventura County Public Health
The crops and their paychecks went up in flames: How the Mountain fire hammered farms and farmworkers
1 month ago

The crops and their paychecks went up in flames: How the Mountain fire hammered farms and farmworkers

LA Times  

When the Mountain fire broke out more than two weeks ago, Samuel and Florentino witnessed the all-too familiar hazy, gray sky and the smell of smoke as they harvested strawberries in an Oxnard field. Ventura County officials are gathering information and resources for residents and farmers who have lost their property or suffered damage, but there isn’t a financial safety …

Work Workers Pay California Mountain Field Ventura County
CDC calls for expanded testing for bird flu after blood tests reveal more farmworker infections
1 month, 2 weeks ago

CDC calls for expanded testing for bird flu after blood tests reveal more farmworker infections

Associated Press  

Federal health officials on Thursday called for more testing of employees on farms with bird flu after a new study showed that some dairy workers had signs of infection, even when they didn’t report feeling sick. Farmworkers in close contact with infected animals should be tested and offered treatment even if they show no symptoms, said Dr. Nirav Shah, principal …

Workers Bird Flu Virus Rasmussen Blood Tests Cdc Study
Negotiations between farmworkers and Wonderful Co. can continue, appellate court rules
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Negotiations between farmworkers and Wonderful Co. can continue, appellate court rules

LA Times  

Wonderful Co. in Wasco, Calif., is the largest grapevine nursery in the United States and the center of a dispute over unionization. The ruling Thursday by a three-judge panel follows an appeal by the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, the state agency that oversees agricultural union elections, and the United Farm Workers, which is representing farmworkers who voted to unionize at …

Labor Board Court Workers Union California State
Two California farmworkers test positive for bird flu
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Two California farmworkers test positive for bird flu

CNN  

CNN — Two farmworkers in California tested positive for H5 bird flu, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Thursday. The confirmation came hours after the California Department of Public Health announced the first two presumptive positive cases in humans in the state. “Ongoing health checks of individuals who interact with potentially infected animals helped us quickly …

Health Workers California Cnn
Newsom vetoes bill aiming to increase protections for farmworkers overcome by heat
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Newsom vetoes bill aiming to increase protections for farmworkers overcome by heat

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that aimed to make it easier for farmworkers to make a workers’ compensation claim for heat illness. In a veto message issued Saturday, Newsom said there is “no doubt” that California farmworkers need strong protections from the risk of heat-related illness, especially as climate change drives an increase in extreme temperatures. Gavin Newsom’s desk …

Compensation Heat Workers Illness California Newsom Bill
Central Valley effort aims to train farmworkers to master the technology replacing fieldwork
3 months ago

Central Valley effort aims to train farmworkers to master the technology replacing fieldwork

LA Times  

A Tortuga AgTech robot makes its way between rows to collect strawberries grown on hydroponic tabletops protected by a plastic tunnel. Cortez, a father of four, is part of the first cohort in a new certificate program launched last month at seven Central Valley community colleges that aims to ensure farmworkers don’t get displaced as the state’s powerhouse agricultural industry …

Students Jobs College California Program Central Valley Merced
Lawmakers take ‘creative’ approach to enforcing heat safety rules for California farmworkers
3 months, 1 week ago

Lawmakers take ‘creative’ approach to enforcing heat safety rules for California farmworkers

LA Times  

With the temperature well over 100 degrees, a farmworker takes a break in the shade of a peach tree in a Riverside County orchard. Gavin Newsom’s desk aims to compel employer compliance with the state’s outdoor heat safety standards by making it easier for farmworkers to make a workers’ compensation claim for heat illness. First enacted in 2005, the state’s …

Illness California Employers Farmworkers Heat Illness Workers Compensation Workers Compensation Claims
With only gloves to protect them, farmworkers say they tend sick cows amid bird flu
3 months, 3 weeks ago

With only gloves to protect them, farmworkers say they tend sick cows amid bird flu

Salon  

GREELEY, Colo. — In early August, farmworkers gathered under a pavilion at a park here for a picnic to celebrate Farmworker Appreciation Day. “I tell my wife and son that the cows are sick, and she tells me to leave, but it will be the same wherever I go.” He said he’d heard that his employers were unsympathetic when a …

Health Dairy Work Workers Bird Colorado Bird Flu
California legislators say new laws must protect farmworkers from extreme heat
4 months ago

California legislators say new laws must protect farmworkers from extreme heat

LA Times  

State lawmakers, responding to a report that the agency charged with ensuring worker safety in California has sharply cut back on enforcement of outdoor heat protection laws, said new legislation is needed to protect employees amid escalating periods of extreme heat. Ortega, whose committee has heard testimony from farmworkers accusing Cal/OSHA of not enforcing safety laws, said the agency has …

Safety Heat California Need Bill Farmworkers Ortega
Wildfires are growing under climate change, and their smoke threatens farmworkers, study says
4 months, 1 week ago

Wildfires are growing under climate change, and their smoke threatens farmworkers, study says

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — As wildfires scorched swaths of land in the wine country of Sonoma County in 2020, sending ash flying and choking the air with smoke, Maria Salinas harvested grapes. “We always expose ourselves to danger out of necessity, whether by fire or disaster, when the weather changes, when it’s hot or cold.” As climate change increases the frequency …

Health Air Work Workers Smoke California Sonoma County
California cuts back on safety enforcement as farmworkers toil in extreme heat
4 months, 1 week ago

California cuts back on safety enforcement as farmworkers toil in extreme heat

LA Times  

California has sharply cut its enforcement of heat-protection laws for outdoor laborers while extreme heat has intensified in recent years — endangering farmworkers, construction workers and others who toil in scorching temperatures — an investigation by the Los Angeles Times and Capital & Main has found. Worker advocates say the numbers show a failure to adequately enforce California’s landmark outdoor …

Safety Water Enforcement Outdoor Workers California 2023
Bird flu cases are going undetected, new study suggests. It’s a problem for all of us
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Bird flu cases are going undetected, new study suggests. It’s a problem for all of us

Salon  

A new study lends weight to fears that more livestock workers have gotten the bird flu than has been reported. “Largely, that’s because our surveillance has been so poor.” As bird flu cases go underreported, health officials risk being slow to notice if the virus were to become more contagious. Gray’s team detected signs of prior bird flu infections in …

Health Surveillance Dairy Cases Workers Texas Michigan
US will buy flu shots for farmworkers in a bid to prevent bird flu from getting worse
4 months, 3 weeks ago

US will buy flu shots for farmworkers in a bid to prevent bird flu from getting worse

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The U.S. will pay for flu shots for farmworkers this year, a strategy to prevent bird flu from changing into something more dangerous. But health officials are worried about what might happen if people are infected with bird flu and seasonal flu at the same time. To prevent coinfections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on …

Workers Bird Shah Bird Flu Flu Livestock Workers Flu Shots
Judge grants temporary halt in UFW’s unionization of Wonderful Co. nursery workers
5 months ago

Judge grants temporary halt in UFW’s unionization of Wonderful Co. nursery workers

LA Times  

Agricultural workers and employers across California will be affected by the eventual outcome of the ongoing dispute over unionizing employees by “card-check.” After more than a month of deliberation, a Kern County Superior Court judge has sided with Wonderful Co. and issued a preliminary injunction that will temporarily halt a contentious bargaining process between the agricultural giant and the state’s …

Law Labor Workers Union Process Company Farmworkers
Central Valley, where 1/4 of U.S.'s food is grown, faces extreme heat for a 2nd week
5 months, 1 week ago

Central Valley, where 1/4 of U.S.'s food is grown, faces extreme heat for a 2nd week

NPR  

Central Valley, where 1/4 of U.S.'s food is grown, faces extreme heat for a 2nd week The central valley of California produces a quarter of the nation's food. AILSA CHANG, HOST: A heat wave is scorching big parts of California's Central Valley, where one quarter of the nation's food is grown. QUINTANILLA: She says the farm didn't have the adequate …

Heat Workers California Central Valley Npr Central Valley
Finland is offering farmworkers bird flu shots. Some experts say the US should, too
5 months, 1 week ago

Finland is offering farmworkers bird flu shots. Some experts say the US should, too

Salon  

As bird flu spreads among dairy cattle in the U.S., veterinarians and researchers have taken note of Finland’s move to vaccinate farmworkers at risk of infection. “Farmworkers, veterinarians, and producers are handling large volumes of milk that can contain high levels of bird flu virus,” said Kay Russo, a livestock and poultry veterinarian in Fort Collins, Colorado. There’s no evidence …

Pandemic Dairy Vaccines Finland Bird Flu Virus Cows
California farmworkers cheer new housing in town scarred by mass shooting
7 months ago

California farmworkers cheer new housing in town scarred by mass shooting

Al Jazeera  

California’s high cost of living has pushed many agricultural labourers into cramped and unserviced housing. Half Moon Bay, California – Almost a year and a half after a mass shooting took the lives of seven farmworkers in the town of Half Moon Bay, California, a new project is seeking to address the poor living conditions experienced by many of the …

Housing Shooting Mass Shooting California State Bay Newsom
Families of Mexican farmworker bus crash victims mourn the loss of their loved ones
7 months ago

Families of Mexican farmworker bus crash victims mourn the loss of their loved ones

Associated Press  

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — In San Miguel Almolonga, a rural farming community in Mexico, a mourning family recited prayers while grieving the loss of a father who came to Florida under a temporary visa to support his family. Yamilet Pérez Ríos, the 14-year-old daughter of Manuel Pérez Ríos, wept as she said she is now left without her father, …

Florida Work Mexico Crash Bus Howard Mexican
Column: Inside the effort by two Beverly Hills billionaires to kill a state law protecting farmworkers
7 months, 1 week ago

Column: Inside the effort by two Beverly Hills billionaires to kill a state law protecting farmworkers

LA Times  

Los Angeles-based Wonderful Co. — the world’s largest pistachio and almond grower, the purveyor of Fiji Water, Pom pomegranate juice and Justin wines, and owner of the Teleflora flower service — wants you to know that it’s committed to “sustainable farming and business practices” and sees its employees as “a guiding force for good.” Wonderful’s owners, the Beverly Hills billionaires …

Law Labor Board Workers Union California Process
Driver said he smoked pot oil and took medication before Florida crash that killed 8 Mexican workers
7 months, 1 week ago

Driver said he smoked pot oil and took medication before Florida crash that killed 8 Mexican workers

Associated Press  

OCALA, Fla. — A man with a long record of dangerous driving told investigators he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription drugs hours before he sideswiped a bus, killing eight Mexican farmworkers and injuring dozens more, according to an arrest report unsealed Wednesday. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday morning that 44 Mexican farmworkers were on the bus, …

Florida Driver Bus Howard Spanish Farmworkers Orlando