Working Under the Gun...Literally

http://www.ufwaction.org/...

Working Under The Gun
It’s Not Just an Expression

Workers of Starrh and Starrh Cotton Growers--a large cotton, hay, and almond producer in California—need your help. They need you to e-mail Cal OSHA immediately and tell them to investigate the violations at the ranch right away and prosecute the company to the fullest extent of the law. When you hear what the workers’ lives are like, you will be horrified...and furious. Please take a moment to help these workers by sending your e-mail today!

"I have been working for Starrh and Starrh for five years", Alejandro Gil told us. "The working conditions are awful. We are exposed to a lot of dust and we do not have any protection. In the last two or three days, I have been feeling a pain in my chest and my back when I breathe...The owner's brother-in-law always puts pressure on workers. He wants more production. The brother-in-law always carries a gun on his waist to scare workers."

Take Action at: http://www.ufwaction.org/...

"We never had bathrooms, fresh water or water to wash our hands. Sometimes we do not get any breaks. They put a lot of pressure on us to work faster. When I helped them packing hay, I worked up to 16 hours without breaks." said Gerardo Negrete. "I am a sprayer and they do not give us what we need to protect ourselves from the chemicals. I have sprayed [pesticide] without gloves, masks or overalls. They only give those to us when we are close to roads where maybe some inspectors can see us...The foremen make fun of us for not having the protection we need."

Francisco Villasaña, another 20-year employee, reports, "The foreman is abusive. Not only does he humiliate us, but he also does not provide us with fresh water--he actually drinks our water."

Listening to these workers makes you wonder if we've stepped into a time warp. Really, how can this happen in 2007?

There are laws that say that workers need breaks for meals and to rest. There are laws that say that workers must have clean water to drink, and protection from sun and extreme heat. There are laws that say that workers must have bathrooms--for their own health--and that of the consumers who eat the food that comes from those fields.

Please send an e-mail to Cal OSHA--the agency responsible for protecting farm workers and enforcing these laws--and tell them to investigate these violations immediately and prosecute the company to the fullest extent of the law. Go to: http://www.ufwaction.org/...

•  Tip Jar

  by ufw on Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 12:36:09 PM PDT

•  "Cool Hand Luke" revisited n/t

  by JFinNe on Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 12:40:14 PM PDT

•  email sent

  Thanks, ufw.

  by chesapeake on Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 01:13:09 PM PDT

•  That this

  is going on, is shameful.  Reminiscent of the "Grapes of Wrath".  There is always someone that will take advantage of others, no matter what year we're in.

  by pritchdc on Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 01:45:43 PM PDT

•  Why Would Anybody Stay Five Years??

  by The Baculum King on Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 01:48:49 PM PDT

  •  These workers need a job to feed their families

    These workers are desperate for a job. Starrh and Starrh is not the only farm that mistreats its workers – it is just one of the worst. Thanks to the support of folks who have stood with abused and exploited farm workers over the decades, many work under much better conditions than this today. Workers with a UFW contract have work lives so far removed from this that you’d think you were in a different country, or a different century. It’s a constant battle to make sure we keep moving forward and don’t lose ground. If we were ever to ease up in our efforts to protect workers, we have no doubt that most workers would end up under conditions like this again.

    by ufw on Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 01:58:43 PM PDT

    •  Sorry for My Skepticism But

      I get the distinct impression that there's more going on here than we're being told. Care to tell us the rest of the story?

      by The Baculum King on Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 02:02:56 PM PDT

      •  We told you the story

        I don't know what else to say. Farm workers have beeen abused by this company that has not followed legal regulations regarding breaks, clean water, bathrooms, safety regulations... The UFW wants Cal OSHA--the agency responsible for protecting these workers--to do their job, investigate these violations immediately and prosecute Starrh and Starrh to the fullest extent of the law.

        by ufw on Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 02:19:41 PM PDT

        •  One of These Workers Has Been There 20 Years

          In two decades of mistreatment he has never had an opportunity to get better employment, when we hear constantly about dire shortages of farm workers all over the West??

          Is this a unionization target you are trying to put pressure on? I am certainly not opposed to getting workers union protection, but I am opposed to snowjobs where I get only part of the story, whether it comes from the Right or the Left.

          by The Baculum King on Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 02:24:31 PM PDT