This month, another worker died in the fields and other workers were punished for seeking medical attention. IOF members joined a coalition meeting with US Member of Congress Don Davis, and spoke on a panel about worker organizing in North Carolina. IOF Board Members gathered in person to decide how to respond to heat fatalities, kitchen access issues, and violations of the FLOC/ NC Growers Association collective bargaining agreement. Read on for more about these issues and a profile of IOF leader Juan Vega. 

There has been yet another tragic death in the fields this season. Just 11 days after arriving in the US, Jose Arturo Gonzalez Mendoza died on September 5, on a scorching hot day. Jose Arturo was a hardworking man from Guanajuato, Mexico who came to North Carolina on an H2A visa to provide for his family. He and his younger brother both worked for Barnes Farming in Nash County, though they worked on different fields. Jose Arturo had told his coworkers that he was not feeling well, but the supervisor never gave him any medical attention. His brother commented that by the time he got to see Jose Arturo, it was too late. 

Many of Jose Arturo’s coworkers, as well as many other farmworkers across the state, report that they are not given enough water or rest from the intense heat. It is common practice for supervisors not to provide water, breaks, and access to medical attention in the field and in the camps. North Carolina does not have mandatory water breaks or offer legal protection during intensely hot days, so workers are very reluctant to speak out for fear of losing their job or non-renewal of their contract for the following year. 

Workers’ fear has only increased since the death of José Arturo, but it also felt like a breaking point for some. They started sharing their stories of how practices within the NC Growers Association put workers’ lives at risk.  For example, O. and J.C. were not feeling well after working in the extreme heat. They made the choice to visit a medical clinic instead of continuing to work. However, their employer penalized them for this action: their hours were promptly cut in half. Even when, later, there was sufficient work to keep the entire crew working longer hours, O and J.C. were sent home early, essentially as punishment for daring to prioritize their health over the work in the fields. The two men decided to go public with what happened. When they shared their story on the It’s Our Future Facebook page, they were immediately placed back on the normal work calendar. 

The IOF Board of Directors met earlier this month and voted to file a general petition to the NC Growers Association seeking access to medical attention, water, and breaks during the extreme heat. In addition, the board is seeking a formal investigation against Barnes Farming and Angel Romero, the crew leader that did not seek medical attention for Jose Arturo. It is unconscionable for employers and contractors to not take immediate action if a worker passes out or has a workplace accident, or if they fail to report such issues to the proper authorities including EMS.  

There is no way to compensate for the pain Jose Arturo’s family is feeling right now, and we send them our deepest condolences.

As part of our alliance work with the statewide Farmworker Advocacy Network (FAN), a delegation of farmworkers attended a FAN working group meeting with Representative Don Davis, Member of Congress for Eastern North Carolina. Eli Porras (IOF Vice President), Juan Vega (IOF Board member), and Alejandro Calderon Martinez represented the voice of the thousands of H2A guestworkers that labor in North Carolina to supply our fruits and vegetables. Workers exposed the flaws of the H2A program with personal stories of incidents that they have experienced themselves. 

One of the many problems is the situation of forced meal plans that exist at many labor camps, including those covered by the FLOC/ NC Growers Association collective bargaining agreement. H2A workers regularly report that they are denied kitchen access to be able to cook for themselves, instead being forced into paying for high-priced, low-quality, and insufficient meals often provided by a crewleader’s relative. 

Workers at Leggette Farms have experienced these same concerns. Congressman Davis visited Leggette Farms, where he was told misleading information on how the meal plans work. At the meeting, being in the room with Rep. Davis meant that workers could share their own experiences of how the meal plans actually play out, and he could hear their stories directly. 

Eli, Juan, and Alejandro also urged that any change to the regulations that impact farmworkers need to include the voice of workers who are actually affected.

Nuestro (IOF) members participated in a virtual panel called NC Workers Organizing: Lessons from the Field. The Raising Wages NC coalition and the Southern Workers Assembly organized this panel in honor of Labor Day to hear directly from workers about labor organizing across the state and what workers have learned. 

Eli Porras Carmona, Vice President of IOF, joined representatives from Black Workers for Justice, UE 150 (Durham City Workers union), Teamsters Local 391, Union of Southern Service Workers, We Dream in Black, Asheville City Association of Educators, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance in this important exchange of experiences and information. 

Workers across North Carolina are united in their desires for fair pay, treatment, safety, and dignity on the job, and are committed to supporting each other across industry!

Juan joined a grievance against the NC Growers Association (NCGA) without the support of FLOC regarding the violation of his right to return and work in 2022 under the collective bargaining agreement. Within the FLOC/NCGA union contract, “Active” workers that have seniority but have no specific grower requesting them, should be recruited based on seniority for jobs in NC. However, “Active” workers have increasingly reported  that the NCGA regularly violates this clause in the contract and FLOC has refused to file grievances on behalf of members. Juan and compañero Eli Porras took on this fight in 2022 and won the opportunity to come back to NC, after settling a grievance with the NCGA without support from the union. 

We close the September newsletter with striking images taken by photojournalism student Milton Lindsay artfully capturing the beauty and pain of working in the fields. May all farmworkers stay safe, healthy, fairly compensated, and able to do their important work with dignity until they are able to return to their families. May all of us join in their struggle to achieve their hopes and dreams.