It’s been a busy summer, and there’s lots of big news to share. Leticia & Maria are both officially staff of IOF now, and the US Department of Labor (US DOL) has forced a new FLOC election! More on that below. 

Farmworkers are in the middle of a blazing hot summer harvest that has been rocked by drenching rains, making for a challenging season. Every day, Leti and Mari, joined on the weekends and rainy days by IOF members, are visiting workers, addressing needs and working to build leadership, all while still negotiating problems with IOF members stuck in Mexico without an official crossing date yet. Read on for updates. 

In two weeks, on Sunday, August 6, IOF members will be meeting in Wilson, NC for their first in-person IOF gathering of the season, since the April board meeting in Mexico! As per usual, given where farmworkers live, they will need help with transportation.  If you are able to donate part of your day to drive workers to this important meeting, please fill out this form. We need at least 7 more drivers! We are looking forward to meeting together, in-person, to build on our energy and power!

It's Our Future/ El Futuro Es Nuestro (IOF) got its start by pushing for more farmworker leadership and democracy within FLOC. This work culminated in the undemocratic "election" that occurred last year at FLOC's convention in Toledo, Ohio. Some of that is outlined in this Civil Eats article. 

After the 2022 election, members of IOF filed charges against FLOC at the US Department of Labor (US DOL) for violations of federal law in the way that the election was held. On Tuesday, July 11, after months of investigation, the US DOL appeared ready to bring charges against the current FLOC leadership for the various violations. However, instead of being subjected to the charges, FLOC negotiated a settlement to the dispute by committing to hold a new election under the US DOL’s supervision. 

IOF feels vindicated by the decision of the US DOL to challenge the undemocratic process, and IOF is happy that there may be an opportunity for a democratic election. The details of next steps are all still unknown, including any election provisions (location? definition of “dues paying” members? election rules?). IOF board members are currently in discussions about how to proceed. Regardless, we know that IOF members will require a lot of support to ensure a democratic election that respects the voices of NC’s farmworkers!

One of the major wins of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the NC Growers Association and FLOC was to ensure seniority in H2A recruitment for union members. The recruitment process determines which workers in Mexico get accepted for the competitive H2A contracts and get “crossing dates” for when they can cross into the US. Unfortunately, many longtime union members, especially those who have been critical of FLOC leadership and who have joined It’s Our Future/ El Futuro Es Nuestro, have had a hard time getting recruited this year and last. For example, Eli Porras, IOF’s Vice President has had his crossing date pushed back twice so far this season, and was recently told he would not be able to cross until September. These workers feel that the recruitment clause of their CBA is being violated. Therefore, a group of workers has asked FLOC for more transparency in how the recruitment clause is being implemented.

The debate about the recruitment clause is re-igniting another grievance IOF members have: over the last seven years, two separate collective bargaining agreements (CBA) have been signed and FLOC has still not provided a copy of the contract in Spanish to its members, other than a brief summary in 2016, despite years of requests. Because nearly all FLOC members are monolingual Spanish speakers, this means they have not been able to read their own contract.  Last week, workers formally demanded a translated copy of the most recent CBA, as well as more transparency into how the negotiations around recruitment are taking place with the NC Growers Association. 

We deeply appreciate and honor Dave Austin, longtime coordinator of Triangle Friends of Farmworkers (TFF). Dave has been a steadfast farmworker ally and labor rights supporter for decades. And after Triangle Friends of the United Farm Workers founder Joan Preiss died in 2006, Dave took up the mantle and became the driving force behind this farmworker support group, leading dozens, if not hundreds(!), of pickets for FLOC, organizing new supporters, driving workers to meetings, and being a constant cheerleader for labor rights of farmworkers. While Dave will continue to be involved with IOF, he has increased family commitments and so is stepping down from leadership. We are happy to share Dave with his grandbabies.

We are excited to announce that Justin Flores will now serve as the new TFF coordinator. To join the TFF mailing list and activities, please email Justin at flores.justin.nc@gmail.com. 

Covid relief distribution: In collaboration with IOF, Compañeras Campesinsas began registering workers for food and farmworker relief aid. This is a continuation of our work to identify people who are eligible for a $600 reimbursement to workers affected by COVID-19. They must have worked at least 1 month in agriculture or meat packing during the pandemic and have incurred costs. During the first week of this partnership, we have already registered more than 40 workers.  

Surveys on farmworker conditions: With the support of the Polaris Project to end human trafficking, IOF leaders were able to launch a project aimed at getting information about working conditions directly from farmworkers. This month, IOF members conducted over 200 surveys with their fellow workers. This has allowed our leaders to share the importance of understanding our rights as workers and our opportunity to unite and push back against exploitation.