Monthly Newsletter - August 2024
Empowering Indigenous Farmworkers Rising
Fresno, CA - In the month of August the Worker Power Team helped Indigenous farmworkers from the Central Valley and Central Coast recover $16,530.68 from stolen wages and unpaid vacation time. This was achieved through workers demanding pay for lost wages through letters and phone calls to employers as well as the Labor Commissioner Settlement Conferences.
Workers were successful in recovering their stolen wages and unpaid vacation because they knew the importance of documenting their work. Additionally, CBDIO staff provided guidance on how to navigate the often complex process of recovering stolen wages, explaining their rights and the steps involved in filing claims. We provide guidance through our monthly Indigenous Farmworkers Committee meetings, were Indigenous farmworkers are empowered to advocate for themselves and recognize the value of their labor, which requires skills and dedication that not just anyone can provide.
The work performed by farmworkers demands a high level of skill, expertise, and hard labor. These workers endure long hours under harsh conditions, contributing significantly to the agricultural industry. For employers and labor contractors to deny them their rightfully earned wages is not only unjust but also a blatant violation of their rights. It devalues the essential role they play in our food systems and perpetuates the cycle of exploitation. Ensuring that farmworkers are fairly compensated is the minimum standard of respect and dignity they deserve for their invaluable contribution.
Health Disparities in Fresno County
Fresno, CA - Indigenous community workers(CHW) play a crucial role in bridging gaps in health disparities that the Indigenous community faces by delivering essential health information, providing linkages and referrals to services such as food access, and building a care plan that addresses any identified barriers. Whether in the peach fields, grapevines, or at local gas stations where farmworkers stop on their way to and from work, CHW’s ensure that vital health resources are accessible in the preferred languages of the community, including languages such as Mixteco from Guerrero, Mixteco from Yucuquimi de Ocampo, Mixteco from San Miguel Cuevas, and Spanish. Their cultural knowledge and background as farmworkers also enables them to connect effectively with farmworkers, addressing unique health needs and overcoming great barriers imposed by agencies and systems relating to language and cultural sensitivity.
During the month of August, CBDIO’s health team reached 634 community members through the Health Disparities Program with Fresno County Department of Public Health. CBDIO staff conducted 21 events in the areas of Selma, Caruthers, Five Points, Huron, Kerman, and the City of Fresno. During these outreach efforts, CHWs completed 19 initial assessments of needs and 86 follow-up evaluations. After conducting the evaluations and follow-ups the needs of Indigenous community members focus on housing, transportation, better wages, food accessibility, primary care and health insurance, child care services/ necessary items for child development , and other needs. The major needs in Fresno County during the month were and continue to be food instability, housing instability, and difficulties accessing health care and health insurance.
CBDIO’s Mixteco After School Program starts its Second Year at Santa Rita Elementary
By Abigail Martinez
Salinas, CA - In August, CBDIO’s team started the second year of our Mixteco After School Program at Santa Rita Elementary in Salinas, CA. Currently, the program has enrolled about 30 students and will be growing throughout the fall semester. The instructors focus on bringing different activities to their classrooms that help the children build trust among themselves and, above all, feel part of a community. In learning from our first year of implementation, in this second year, the CBDIO team has taken great care to work on evaluation and planning for student development with teachers and school staff, focusing on how we as a team can document student needs, measuring progress, and celebrating positive results at the end of the school year. The CBDIO instructors also expanded their interpretation services for parents and students from Santa Rita Elementary to also include Gavilan View Middle School. These interpretation services include language support at parent meetings, or providing translation support with school documents, emails, notifications, or follow-ups at the schools’ Family Resource Centers.
Chatino and Mixteco Voices in the Salinas City Council Advocating for Local Housing Measures
By Estela Hernandez and Maricela Ramirez
Salinas, CA - On August 15, 2024, the Indigenous communities of Chatinos and Mixtecos met to create banners and prepare for a Salinas City Council meeting later that month where three housing ordinances would be up for review. These three ordinances would 1) institute limits to rent increases for certain properties, 2) create more protections for tenants from landlord harassment, and 3) require relocation assistance for tenants for no-fault evictions. CBDIO and our partners–including Building Healthy Communities (BHC), Center for Community Advocacy (CCA), Monterey Bay Central Labor Council (MBCLC) and others–have been working together to advocate for local and state housing initiatives like these three ordinances.
On August 20, 2024, the Salinas City Council then conducted an initial review of the three draft housing ordinances. CBDIO’s Mixteco and Chatino committees turned out in strong numbers, urging the Council to adopt the rent stabilization and tenant protection ordinances as they would benefit thousands of Salinas residents, including many of the Indigenous and farm working communities. The committee members stayed long into the night, sharing powerful testimonies about landlord abuses of power, unjust evictions, and the high cost of rent that they are experiencing as tenants in the Salinas area. As a community-based coalition, we were glad to see that the Council expressed support for the three ordinances.
Future updates will be provided on subsequent City Council meetings on September 10th and 24th, where the Council will decide whether to finalize the language of the three ordinances and then put the ordinances up for a final vote. CBDIO and our partners will be organizing to lead communities residing in the city of Salinas in support of the ordinances.
Statewide Reach
Updates
The Biden Administration’s "Keeping Families Together" program, announced in June 2024, remains blocked by the Fifth Circuit Court due to a lawsuit filed by sixteen Republican-led states, led by Texas. As a result, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is currently unable to approve applications submitted under this program. While applicants can still file their cases, USCIS will not grant approvals until further guidance is provided by the courts. It is crucial for community members to consult with a trusted legal representative or immigration attorney to explore other potential forms of immigration relief.
The DACA program has been the subject of ongoing litigation for several years. We want to update DACA recipients that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is set to hear arguments regarding the program's legality on October 10, 2024. This case originated from a lawsuit filed by a coalition of Republican-led states, led by Texas, which argues that the DACA program is unlawful. The outcome of this hearing could have significant implications for the program and its beneficiaries.
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