a little late this month since I started a new job, then thaddeus came for the weekend. but anyway, this month I donated to the united farms workers, which is an org that was started in 1962 and "is the nation’s first enduring and largest farm workers union."
"The UFW continues organizing in major agricultural sectors, chiefly in California. Recent years have witnessed dozens of UFW union contract victories protecting thousands of farm workers, among them agreements with the some of the largest berry, winery, tomato, dairy and mushroom companies in California and the nation. More than 75 percent of California’s fresh mushroom industry is now under union contract. Many recent UFW-sponsored laws and regulations protect all farm workers in California, especially those at non-union ranches. They include the first state standards in the U.S. to prevent further deaths and illnesses from extreme heat and in 2016 the first law in the country providing farm workers in California with overtime pay after eight hours a day. The UFW continues to actively champion legislative and regulatory reforms for farm workers covering issues such as worker protections, pesticides and immigration reform."
somehow I started following them on twitter and have learned a lot about working conditions on farms, how some produce is harvested, and the tremendous work that is rewarded with incredibly little pay.
also, for some extended reading:
National Farm Worker Ministry - Children in the Fields
The Atlantic - The Overlooked Children Working America's Tobacco Fields
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