*[Enwl-eng] 115+ degrees outside but agriculture corporations still want workers plucking fruit

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Jul 21, 2021, 9:02:08 AM7/21/21
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These corporations make billions in revenue, but leave farmworkers to broil in triple-digit weather picking our fruits and vegetables
 
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The climate change-induced summer heat wave is coming. And while it plans to spare no one, one particular population will bear the brunt of its fury: the people who pick our fruits and vegetables. According to scientists, forecasts predict that the western U.S. states — including California, home to most of the nation's agricultural production — will likely reach temperatures of 25 degrees above average this summer. Weather in the Central Valley of California, one of the most productive agricultural regions in the entire world, has already roared into triple-digit temperatures this year, up to a whopping 130 degrees Fahrenheit in some places.

These are temperatures that no living being should be forced out into, yet Big Ag corporations are giving these workers no other choice. Farm laborers do not recieve steady salaries or hourly wages, instead being paid "by the pail" — meaning how much they pluck each day. On top of that, they do not receive workplace benefits like paid time off, even for sickness or natural disasters. Extreme weather events force these workers to miss, on average, two weeks of (unpaid) work each year. Yet many families can't afford to miss those wages, meaning they must venture out into the blistering, deadly heat anyway. It has also historically meant working during severe wildfires, even when the air is choking and packed with toxic chemicals.

Meanwhile, their corporate employers are raking in the profits. When agriculture is called "big business," that's an understatement. The two most profitable agricultural corporations in the U.S. — Cargill and Tyson Foods — bring in upwards of $42 billion and $113 billion in revenue, respectively, each year. But rich executives aren't sharing that wealth with their hard-working mostly immigrant, laborers. Instead they're hoarding these gains for themselves, while continuing to stretch and squeeze their workers to the breaking point. Sign the petition to demand these workers' extremely rich employers finally provide them with full benefits, including paid time off, healthcare, and salaries!

Thank you,

 

Miranda
The Care2 Petitions Team

 

P.S. Farmworkers are forced to choose between their health and safety, and "per pail" wages to feed their families. That's just not right — sign the petition now.




 
Care2.com, Inc.
3141 Stevens Creek Blvd. #40394
San Jose, CA 95117
http://www.care2.com

 
Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2021 11:19 AM
Subject: 115+ degrees outside but agriculture corporations still want workers plucking fruit
 
 


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