Elk Grove Patch Honors Cesar Chavez

In our society's peculiar system of rewarding people for their labor, those who perform the work most essential for survival—growing and cooking food, tending to children, making with their hands the products we use every day—usually earn the least amount of money.

Nowhere is this more obvious than in farm work, arguably the most socially useful job of all. Think about what you ate for breakfast this morning. Just about every ingredient in your morning meal was touched by the hands of a farmworker, or by a tool or machine wielded by one.

Yet historically California farmworkers have faced not only dismally low wages but exposure to pesticides and other occupational hazards, along with harassment and intimidation directed at those who tried to organize to better their lot.

César Chávez, the United Farm Workers leader whose birthday our state celebrates today, dedicated his life to remedying those injustices. And it would be comforting to think that by now, almost 20 years after his death, the problems he confronted have been solved.

Yet earlier this month, the Associated Press reported, a case was settled in San Joaquin County Superior Court against two farm labor contractors who violated regulations aimed at protecting workers from heatstroke. A pregnant teenager died as a result; the contractors will pay fines of $370 and $1000 respectively and perform several hours of community service.

In Sacramento County, the average farmworker earns just $18,750 per year, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"You certainly can't provide for a family on that amount of money, especially nowadays," said Marie Jachino, executive director of Elk Grove Food Bank Services, which runs a mobile food pantry for farmworker families in the Franklin area.

The program brings groceries and clothing to about 150 Spanish-speaking dairy workers and their families who cannot afford transportation to Elk Grove for the non-profit's regular food distributions. Many more families are on a waiting list.

In the coming weeks, I will be volunteering with the mobile pantry as part of a companywide Patch program that gives employees paid days off to help out in our communities. You can find out more about volunteer opportunities with the food bank here, or lend financial support at an April 8 hosted by Mayor Steven Detrick and Vice Mayor Jim Cooper.

To learn more about Chávez's legacy, you can read the California Department of Education's official biography of Chávez, or visit the United Farm Workers website.

Sí, Se Puede!