Cross-posted at Facing South

Hurricane Dolly is poised to strike the Gulf Coast near the Texas-Mexico border later today, maybe even escalating to and is now a Category 2 storm. About 1.5 million Texans stand in the storm's projected path, and the governor of Tamaulipas, Mexico is planning to evacuate 23,000 people -- a reminder that nature knows no borders.

E-mail Gov. Schwarzenegger today!

I need to share some news with you that breaks my heart.Yesterday another farm worker’s life was lost due to heat stroke. Abdon Felix Garcia was the third farm worker heat death in the last 8 weeks and the 12th farm worker heat death since CA Governor Schwarzenegger took office. Then I need to ask for your immediate help to e-mail Gov. Schwarzenegger and California legislatures today and tell them this has to stop now.

(Crossposted at CtW Connect)

On June 2, I told you about the tragic story of Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez -- a 17-year-old pregnant woman who died in the vineyards of Stockton, California on May 16, overcome by heat after the company she worked for failed to provide her with the shade and water mandated by California law -- a failure so egregious that farmworkers and supporters from across California marched on Sacramento demanding justice.

Now comes word that the company whose negligence doomed both Maria and her unborn child has been put out of business by the State of California.

Complete story after the jump...

(Crossposted at CtW Connect)

Yesterday, I told you the tragic story of Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez -- a 17-year-old girl who died in a sweltering California vineyard last month because her employer didn't provide her with the shade and water required by law.  With her died her unborn child -- a child so young that she may very well have not have even known she was pregnant as she toiled in the fields.

Today, I bring you video of Maria's fiancee, Florentino Bautista, telling the story of how corporate greed cost the life of the woman he loved.

Video and update after the jump...

Once again, the Bush Administration is attempting to strip away the few protections afforded to workers who harvest our nation’s crops.

This week, the U.S. Department of Labor announced what it calls the "most significant overhaul of the nation’s agricultural guest worker program in two decades." That sounds good, but look a little closer and you will discover that instead of fixing the problem, this so-called reform is nothing more than a gutting of existing protections for both domestic and foreign workers.  

Send your message to the Department of Labor today.  Go to: http://www.ufwaction.org/...

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."

E-mail CA officials today!

We just told you how the EPA approved the use of methyl iodide--a dangerous toxic, mutagenic pesticide. Thousands of you responded and took action – thank you! EPA is still refusing to listen to us and the dozens of prominent scientists who have repeatedly pointed out the dangers associated with this pesticide.

California is one of the largest users of fumigant pesticides. The state must give a separate approval to methyl iodide before this toxic chemical can be used. We asking for your immediate help to encourage California authorities to do the right thing and refuse approval of this deadly compound.

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

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

Do you want to help pregnant women, farm workers, and young children from being exposed to a toxic, mutagenic pesticide?  Well, you can.

We need you to contact the Environmental Protection Agency today and tell them to protect the public by immediately revoking the registration for the highly toxic pesticide Methyl Iodide. The EPA approved the one-year use of this dangerous chemical on Friday.

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