I filed this very short radio piece today from the capitol for Workers Independent News (WIN) out of Wisconsin. It’s about a senate bill that farm workers are trying to persuade Governor Brown to sign. Cesar Chavez’s sister was there, along with marching and fasting protestors, and someone was holding up Cesar’s rocking chair. They were going to offer Brown to sit in it when (if) he signs the bill–an interesting detail that doesn’t make it into a one-minute story. After all these years, the farm workers are still trying to get non-lethal working conditions.
Anchor’s Intro: The United Farm Workers are hoping a California bill allowing farm workers to form unions by majority signup will soon become law. Shawn Hamilton reports:
“United Farm Workers and their supporters rallied at California’s state capitol Thursday to persuade Governor Jerry Brown to sign legislation making it easier for farm workers to organize. The author of Senate Bill 104, Sacramento Democrat Darryl Steinberg, told the crowd he was honored to have sponsored The Fair Treatment for Farm Workers Act, which he referred to as a civil rights bill. It would simply allow farm workers to protect themselves by having a union.
Arturo Rodriguez, president of the United Farm Workers, said the large growers who oppose the legislation pretend everything is fine and that they treat the workers well. Rodriguez said they ignore the 16 heat-related deaths that have occurred in the last six years. He said the growers don’t provide enough water, shade, or rest breaks and generally push the workers too hard.
[Arturo Rodriguez] “They’re not machines. They’re human beings and they cannot work like that. That’s why we need fair treatment for farm workers and SB 104 signed by Governor Jerry Brown, so farm workers will have a voice on the job, so they’ll have an opportunity to really control what’s taking place.â€
Governor Brown has until June 28th to sign the bill. Shawn Hamilton, Sacramento, CA”
(About two minutes in (second story), but the first piece on TSA is interesting. I realized that I have trouble seeing TSA employees as “workers” in a sense that I can respect them. I can’t get past their willingness (or eagerness) to deny us 4th Amendment rights while molesting us.