"I have not complained because I have my family to support and I'm afraid to lose my job." - Marcelino Tepec
"I do not file a claim against my boss for fear of retaliation. I'm afraid he will no longer give me work." - Pule Vargas
"I know my legal rights are being violated by this contractor, but I do not complain because my other co-workers do not complain and I am afraid to speak up for myself." - Javier Cantor
That's why we want to tell you what's been happening in California's citrus groves and ask for your financial assistance.
Narcizo Peralta has worked for a labor contractor in the citrus orchards for nine years. When asked about his employer, he begins a litany of abuses that bother him deeply. "... I work in the citrus and they do not provide water for us. We have to take our own water. They do not provide us with equipment nor do they pay us the minimum wage. When someone gets hurt on the job, the crew boss cusses us out."
The first three items on Narcizo's list are blatantly illegal. If an employer pays less than twice the minimum wage - and citrus growers pretty much all do - they must provide tools and can't expect workers to purchase their own. Yet Narcizo's co-workers report they are required to buy shears, sacks, and gloves out of their own pockets. Employers must also pay the state's minimum wage.
Agricultural employers must provide clean drinking water for workers. Can you imagine working under the hot California sun without it? They are also supposed to provide sanitary bathrooms. But workers report that the bathrooms, when they are available, are filthy.
Rafael Vega has worked for various labor contractors for about 20 years, so he knows what he's talking about when he notes the ways that contractors cheat workers. "This contractor paid us in cash and one day me and my co-worker asked her to pay us with a check so that we could report to social security, and she became upset and fired us all, the entire crew!"
Your donation helps us do the legal work to take the workers' claims to the California Agricultural Labor Board and the courts -- as well as organizing in the fields and meeting with workers in their homes. Please be as generous as you can. Thank you.
https://secure.ufw.org/page/contribute/citrus10
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