August 29 National Day of Action for Farmworker and Immigrant Justice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 15, 2022

Contact:

Oralia Maceda, 559-281-7631, oraliaa@centrobinacional.org

Sarait Martinez, 831-512-3316, sarait@centrobinacional.org

Myrna Martinez N, 559-355-5256, MNateras@afsc.org

 

August 29 National Day of Action for Farmworker and Immigrant Justice:
Fresno groups call on Senator Padilla to vote NO on the Farmworker Modernization Act

On August 29th, a broad coalition of organizations is holding events across the nation as part of the National  Day of Action for Farmworker and Immigrant Justice. Communities are taking the streets to demand Congress oppose H.R. 1603 - The Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA); the FWMA is an anti-labor bill that will set back farmworkers’ rights for generations.  

After passing in the House last year, there is news that a bi-partisan group of Senators is negotiating a Senate version of the bill, which could be even more harmful to workers. We are very concerned that the FWMA is dangerously close to getting the votes it needs to pass in the Senate. If passed, it would expand E-Verify and a flawed H-2A guest worker program while tying the possibility of regularized immigration status to eight years of exploitation.  

We strongly believe farmworkers deserve better than the anti-labor Farm Workforce Modernization  Act. We don’t want laws that divide workers; we want living wages, better protections for farmworkers, and comprehensive immigration reform for all workers. The FWMA will only boost profits for the agricultural industry and big food corporations gouging prices on the backs of workers and communities. We are asking our representatives for solutions, not for more long-term problems in our farmworker communities. We invite organizations and individuals to join us for our day of action and demand:  

  • No to the Farm Workforce Modernization Act.
  • No E-Verify for farmworkers and all other workers.
  • Immediate legal status for all undocumented people by moving the registry date to today's date, making it possible for all who need it to apply for legal resident status.

When: August 29, 2022

Where: Federal Building, 2500 Tulare St Room 1501, Fresno, CA 93721

Time: 10 am

Who: Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indigena Oaxaqueño (CBDIO) 

American Friends Service Committee Pan Valley Institute 

California Institute for Rural Studies

 

Other groups:

Alianza de Mujeres Activas y Solidarias (ALMAS) – Graton Day Labor Center 

California Democratic Renters Council 

Community to Community 

Farmworkers Association of Florida 

Frente Indigena de Organizaciones Binacionales 

Food Chain Workers Alliance 

Fuerza Mundial 

Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, SF Chapt. 

La Raza Centro Legal 

Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance 

Mujeres Unidas y Activas 

Nicaragua Information Center for Community Action 

Radical Women - US 

San Francisco Labor Council 

San Francisco Living Wage Coalition