NFWM-California staff, Lucy Boutte organized and hosted 69 farm worker supporters to travel to the Central Valley on June 12th to visit with the National Cesar E. Chavez Center in La Paz and meet with Giumarra workers. The supporters came from 14 churches from Los Angeles County as well as a group of high school students on an immersion trip from St. Ignatius Prep High School, San Francisco. The purpose of the trip was so supporters could meet some of the farm workers they have been supporting for the past year through writing campaigns to the Governor, fasts & vigils.

About 75 farm worker supporters gathered throughout the night and day on Friday, April 23rd to show their support for the struggle of farm workers at Giumarra Vineyards to improve their conditions and work to win a union contract with the United Farm Workers. Following the example of Cesar Chavez on the anniversary of his passing, many people fasted for 24 hours reflecting on their connection to farm workers and the sacrifice many farm workers make in their struggle for better conditions, dignity, and respect.

(From Left: NFWM Staff Christy Lafferty and Lucy Boutte, and farm worker supporters Suzanne Darweesh and Dan Parziale)

Dan Parziale, a supporter in Los Angeles, reflected that, “the 24 Hour Fast was a beautiful beginning to the Giumarra campaign and was representative of the power of our movement. Farm workers joined with organizers, religious leaders, and veteran supporters of the fight for better work conditions, as wellas new participants in that struggle. In addition, there were hundreds of people who signed up for the fast online and we felt the power of those people too. Our fast, in some way, connected with all of the fasts that have been done throughout history in order to raise the public's awareness of an injustice. Our fast reminded us of the struggle that the workers in the fields experience each day when their rights are not upheld. We prayed for justice and for those people who work each day to ensure a better future for farm workers. We prayed for those companies like Giumarra that currently do not see the value in upholding human rights and we prayed for the workers who suffer as a result. Chants, poetry, songs, and prayers rose together as a powerful statement of our refusal to accept the treatment of many of our brothers in the sisters in the field.”

(Fr. Richard Estrada says a blessing on two Giumarra workers, Maria Cervantes and Ester Corona, during a prayer vigil at the Fast.)

Suzanne Darweesh, current President of the Orange County Interfaith Committee to Aid Farm Workers, was present to provide support as well. “After an hour or two, my back was hurting and I wanted to sit down…but then I started thinking about the hard lives of farm workers, stooping over in the hot sun, often working without water or lunch breaks, or rest rooms, with little or no opportunity to protest their working conditions lest they lose their jobs, and I was ashamed of my minor complaints. I thought about the farm workers who died while picking food for the rest of us and I hoped that this demonstration/vigil might prompt more people to think about these conditions and vow to do something about them.”

A little bit of effort can sometimes go a long way. This is one of those cases.

Workers are organizing for justice in their work place at Giumarra Vineyards. Giumarra is one of the largest table grape growers in the US. Employing nearly 3,000 farm workers in California, it markets its grapes and numerous other fruits and vegetables from around the world under the name Nature’s Partner. But it is no partner to the workers; Giumarra has one of the most egregious histories of abusing farm workers in the state. Two out of 15 farm workers who have died heat-related illnesses died while picking grapes for Giumarra. And a recent lawsuit against Giumarra filed by the federal Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) alleges that the company permitted a 17-year-old girl to be sexually harassed and then retaliated against her and 3 other workers for coming to her defense by firing them. For more background information on this campaign, click HERE.

You can help support the workers at Giumarra by simply sending a letter. The UFW is talking to grocery chains about Giumarra’s treatment of its workers. One of the chains that has chosen not to respond to the UFW and unwilling to listen to the stories of workers from Giumarra is Cincinnati-based Kroger.

On Tuesday, July 28th, about 200 farm worker supporters, including members of clergy from Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim faith traditions gathered at the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market to raise awareness about the 15 heat-related deaths in the fields of California since 2004. The vigil was held on the 5-year anniversary of the death of Asuncion Valdivia, the first of the fifteen to pass away who died while he was picking grapes for Guimarra Vineyards. Virginia Nesmith, NFWM director, welcomed the crowd to the vigil, sponsored by NFWM and the UFW. Arturo Rodriguez, UFW spoke as well as farm workers, clergy and several politicians.

Two days later, the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) affiliates of Southern California and San Diego and Imperial Counties, and the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, filed a landmark lawsuit against the state and its Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal/OSHA) for failing to live up to their constitutional and statutory duties to protect the safety of farm workers. Click here for more information.