SUNNYSIDE, Wash.- Cesar Chavez Day may still be a week away, but that’s not stopping farm workers from honoring his legacy by continuing the fight for their rights.
Farm workers in Sunnyside gathered with the United Farm Workers to speak up and let the farms in the community know they’re not going anywhere.
“These people who work day in, day out, who during the pandemic were considered essential workers and they were working every day and they’re not treated with the respect or dignity they deserve,” says UFW President Teresa Romero. “They want it. And they’re fighting for it.”
Romero says the workers in Sunnyside began fighting over three years ago. She says farms would ignore requests and continue the poor work conditions.
“We break our backs a lot to bring food out here to everybody,” says one former farm worker.
“Hours, hours, hours, every single day under the sun,” described another.
“There’s been times I’ve been denied to go get water, to go to the restroom because I’m too far in the line or I’m too behind.”
“I’ll see people who say they’ve been doing this 20-30 years in the same conditions every time.”
The battle continues despite the hardships. Romero says even if some farm workers have been fired, they’re sticking around to fight for their community.
“They continue to get together,” says the UFW president. “They continue to fight. They continue to talk to other workers. They continue to share what happened to them. And they are committed to get this legislation passed, so nobody can get away with these abuses.”
UFW says the legislation would make Washington only the third state to grant farm workers’ rights, with California and New York.
Until passed, UFW and the community will continue to chant “Si se puede,” meaning “yes, you can” in reference to farms taking better care of their workers.
