Mobilizing agricultural workers for social justice, health and safety

This session will reflect upon the lessons learned in community organizing efforts with agricultural workers in the Central Valley of California and their relationship to improvements in working conditions. The over-arching framework of union and community organizing among communities with migrating populations and English as a second language will provide the backdrop for this discussion.

Current efforts of Poder Popular, an initiative of the California Endowment to improve the health and working conditions in Monterey and Tulare Counties, will be viewed through this framework. Employing multiple strategies such as employer voluntary compliance, lawsuits, public policy advocacy, and grassroots organizing has achieved sustainable results. Specific examples of effective mobilization around the enforcement of pesticide drift regulations will provide an example of an effective organizing strategy.

The presenters will discuss the challenges of mobilizing community organizations and garnering grassroots support among stakeholders with varying political and economic interests.