Thousands of California farm workers and their supporters today rallied at the State Capitol in Sacramento, after a 13-day, 167-mile march through California’s Central Valley, to demand better protections and more union rights. The march, organized by the United Farm Workers union (“UFW”), began nearly two months after California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed Senate Bill (SB) 104, the Fair Treatment for Farm Workers Act, which would have made it easier for California’s farm workers to join unions such as the UFW.
The farm workers seek to convince Gov. Brown to sign several new bills that are making their way through the California legislature. These bills include a revised version of the Fair Treatment for Farm Workers Act and legislation giving farm workers the right to be paid overtime after 8 hours of work per day. The protest also occurs against a backdrop of at least two allegedly heat-related California farm worker deaths in the past several months.
The farm workers’ march to Sacramento seems to have had an effect: according to various reports, Governor Brown has offered a compromise which would give added protections to California farm workers and their unions under current law. This compromise is currently making its way through the California Legislature.
The farm workers’ rally also occurs just before Labor Day, serving as a reminder that much of the food Americans put on their tables comes from the manual labor of others.
© 2011 Matthew Emmer -- All Rights Reserved
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