COVID Highlights Inequities in California Farm Labor
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02/06/2021 |
Workers' Transport Vans
Contribute to COVID Infection |
Advocacy groups have conducted surveys and studies on the status of farm laborers in fields in California. According to a February 4th article in the Fresno Bee, ninety percent of farm workers in California are Latinx and sixty percent lack legal documentation. Approximately seventy percent of workers have experienced difficulty in feeding their families, paying rent (often for substandard housing) and to provide for health and childcare.
The situation has been exacerbated by the emergence of COVID-19. Despite their designation as "essential", farm workers are not generally receiving PPE, hazard pay, testing or are working or being transported under conditions that do not allow social distancing. The situation is apparently worse for women who have the added responsibility of feeding and caring for children.
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 Given the high proportion of undocumented agricultural laborers, their ability to protest and make use of state and federal resources is limited and they rely on assistance from community-oriented organizations and charities. The plight of field workers in California is more than a social issue, the security of the food chain is threatened, and public health is compromised by exploitation. |
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