Religious leaders and community advocates held a vigil on Friday, July 24, in front of the North Carolina General Assembly to honor those who died due to the virus. extreme heatParticipants also called for greater protective measures for those who work outdoors.
A fight to prevent more heat-related deaths
The vigil, titled “Bearing Witness: Solidarity with Farmworkers” and organized by El Futuro es Nuestro (The Future is Ours), began with a prayer in Spanish and English. Afterward, the speakers called for guaranteeing safe working conditions for farmworkers. farm workers exposed to extreme heat.
“We are fighting to prevent any more deaths in the fields,” said Leticia Zavala, Co-coordinator of El Futuro es Nuestro, to Enlace Latino NC.
Zavala added that situations in which agricultural employers violate the workers rights.
As an example, he recounted the case of a worker who started on a Thursday and collapsed while working on Monday. He remained in a coma for three weeks.
Upon waking, he had brain damage, and the employer dismissed both him and the family members who accompanied him during his illness. medical crisis.
“We say that these kinds of things could have been prevented,” Zavala explained.
“Those workers thought they had the right to be with their brother and son, but they were fired. So, we have to keep fighting,” he said.
Furthermore, Zavala mentioned that "as long as the government allows ranchers to make decisions for themselves, they will make decisions that affect profits and not well-being."
Extreme heat can endanger the lives of those who work outdoors. Consult How to prevent heat stroke, recognize its symptoms, and know the rights that protect workers exposed to high temperatures.
The heat from the experience of an agricultural worker
Martín Pérez Fernández, from The future is ours, shared his experience after 26 years of working in the field.
During the vigil, he described the conditions faced by agricultural workers during periods of extreme heat and the need for greater protective measures.
“I would like them to pay attention to us in terms of weather conditions or for employers to be better educated so they can treat us well,” Pérez Fernández told Enlace Latino NC.
He also added that sometimes the workdays are long, from 7 am to 9 pm, and that sometimes there is no break.
With the vigil, Pérez Fernández hopes to highlight the fundamental role of agricultural workers in the country's economy. He also called for respect for their labor rights and for safe working conditions.
Support from faith communities for agricultural workers
Participants included representatives from religious organizations that support farmworkers' demands for better working conditions, including the National Farmworker Ministry, the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of North Carolina, and Muslims for Social Justice.
Félix Garza, a member of the board of directors of the National Ministry for Rural Workers, told Enlace Latino NC Members of religious communities delivered postcards to Luke Farley, North Carolina's labor commissioner, requesting greater protections for farm workers exposed to extreme heat.
He added that the initiative also sought to send a message of support to the workers.
“We want to let farmworkers know they are not alone. There are many people paying attention and making requests to the government to make changes and protect its workers,” Garza explained.
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After the storm
A year ago, Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina. The Latino community responded with something stronger than the storm: solidarity.
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