SCDP Endorses North Bay Jobs with Justice’s campaign for Sonoma County Farmworkers Safety and Respect

As we enter another wildfire season, we call on the Sonoma County wine industry; including wineries, vintners, growers, vineyard management companies, and farm labor contractors; along with our local elected officials to join us in taking leadership to ensure that farmworkers’ safety is respected this year during wildfire harvest by meeting their priorities:

1. Language Justice – All safety and evacuation trainings must be provided in farmworkers’ first languages; including Indigenous languages.
2. Disaster Insurance – When companies can’t harvest because of smoke and fire, they get insurance pay for their losses. Workers should too.
3. Community Safety Observers – State agencies aren’t able to adequately monitor field safety. Trained community members should be allowed access to add safety capacity.
4. Premium Hazard Pay – Working in these conditions is hazardous to workers’ health in the immediate and long term, workers should be properly compensated.
5. Clean Bathrooms and Water – Ash and soot from the fires plus increased number of workers for harvest, put field sanitation at risk. Companies must provide clean bathrooms and water at all times.

As climate change fueled wildfires continue to disproportionately impact low-wage immigrant workers, these priorities are an opportunity to take a stand for racial justice and equity in our community.

Join us in supporting this campaign!

View and sign the petition here.