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October 4, 2007: Farmworker Justice Executive Director Bruce
Goldstein Testifies in House Agriculture Committee hearing on the
Labor Needs of American Agriculture.
In his testimony, Mr. Goldstein described the challenges faced by farmworkers and urged members of Congress to support a fair,
sensible solution to resolve the problem—the AgJOBS bill. Mr.
Goldstein noted that the majority of farmworkers lack work
authorization and that such a high number of undocumented workers
translates into weak bargaining power for those workers. The
consequences of current immigration and labor laws are serious.
Farmworkers’ incomes are very low, usually less than $13,000 a
year. Housing is scarce and often decrepit. Few farmworkers
receive even basic fringe benefits, such as paid sick leave or
holidays. Health care is rarely offered to farmworkers by their
employers, and the undocumented and even new authorized immigrants
to the U.S. are not eligible for Medicaid or other public benefits.
Agriculture is ranked among the three most dangerous industries in
the United States. Mr. Goldstein noted that doing nothing is
extraordinarily irresponsible. AgJOBS is a reasonable solution that
is good for farm workers, good for agribusiness, and good for
America.
October 1, 2007: Farmworkers Renew Push for AgJOBS with Lobby Week
Farmworkers renewed the push for AgJOBS in the first week of
October, when about 100 farmworkers traveled to DC. Led by the
United Farm Workers, farmworkers representing farmworker
organizations from all over the country converged to share their
experiences about the urgent need for AgJOBS. The participating
organizations included the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO;
PCUN (Oregon’s farmworker union); CATA of Pennsylvania/New Jersey;
CITA of New York; the National Farm Worker Ministry; the Florida
Association of Farmworkers; the Idaho Community Action Network; and
the Rural & Migrant Ministry – NY. Farmworker Justice and other D.C.
based organizations helped organize meetings, prepare written
materials and assist the farmworkers in their eloquent
presentations. The farmworkers’ dedication and tireless efforts
energized the D.C.-based advocates.
The AgJOBS lobby week was a great success. The energy and presence
of the farmworkers created new momentum to pass AgJOBS. Farmworkers
met with Senators and Representatives, including Senators Feinstein,
Kennedy, Dorgan and Representatives Berman, Baca, Gutierrez, and
Watt, as well as the staffs of dozens of members of Congress. Many
meetings included agribusiness representatives. At the end of the
week, Senators Kennedy and Feinstein and Rep. Berman committed to
farmworker and agribusiness representatives to pass AgJOBS during
October or November.
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AgJOBS Press Conference
June 2007 |
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On Thursday, June 21, 2007, a coalition of farmworker
organizations brought 50 farmworkers from around the nation to
educate members of Congress about the need for the AgJOBS
farmworker immigration legislation. The groups cosponsored a
press conference with Senator Dianne Feinstein of California and
Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, two key supporters of
AgJOBS. The press conference followed a meeting of the
farmworker organizations earlier in June. Below is a statement
that the farmworker groups issued. We also have a slide show of
photographs taken at the press conference and the farmworkers
planning to go to Senate offices. They carried both plastic
fruit and real fruit to make the point that real fruit requires
farmworkers and without the farmworkers, and immigration reform,
there will only be fake fruit. The speakers included Arturo
Rodriguez, President of the United Farm Workers; Mirna Vasquez,
a farmworker from Porterville, California; and Baldemar
Velasquez, President of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee,
AFL-CIO. Attendees included representatives of all the groups
listed on the statement below
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June 12, 2007
La Paz, Keene, California
We the farm worker
organizations representing regions with 95% of farm workers from
around the United States convened in Keene, California, to reflect
on the implications of the comprehensive immigration reform proposal
before Congress.
We are united in our efforts
to urge Congress and the President of the United States to move the
process forward. Although we continue to have concerns about aspects
of the comprehensive bill that need to be addressed, we believe that
in order to meet the realities of our communities, we must work
together to ensure that comprehensive immigration reform, which
includes AgJOBS and the DREAM ACT, is enacted this year.
If our broken immigration system
isn’t fixed, then farm workers will continue to be abused, the
agricultural industry will be without a stable workforce, and the
safety of the nation's food supply will be in jeopardy.
United Farm
Workers (UFW)
Pineros Unidos del Noreste (PCUN)
Farm Labor
Organization Committee (FLOC)
El Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas
(CATA)
Centro Independiente de Trabajadores Agricolas
(CITA)
Farm Worker
Association of Florida
Centro Campesino
La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE)
UFW Foundation
Florida Legal
Services
National Farm
Worker Ministry
Farmworker Justice
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