In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, farm workers are considered essential and therefore, they should have continued working as usual. However, beyond acknowledging his work, the Trump government plans to cut wages for those H2A visa recipients.
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The controversy was swift, and both union and political leaders have already taken part in the debate. California Democratic Senator and former presidential candidate Kamala Harris posted on her twitter account that “farmworkers need a raise, not a cut.”
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Another inexcusable proposal by the Trump administration. Many farm workers are already vastly underpaid and doing backbreaking work to put food on our tables.
They deserve a raise — not a pay cut.https://t.co/J0K2cCytqk
– Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) April 12, 2020
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Aiming to help local farmers affected by the coronavirus, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, and the new White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, They study how to reduce operating costs.
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Joe del Bosque, a farmer from the area, claims that After the closure of restaurants and hotels, there is a lot of fruit and vegetables that are not being marketed.
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So from the White House they study how to lend a hand, although Community leaders from California’s Central Valley allege that farmers have already been included in the economic stimulus package.
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Armando Elenes, from the Peasant Union (UFW) comments that 9.5 billion in direct aid and another 14 billion in loans to agriculture have already been approved for it, so it strongly rejects the idea of sacrificing the workforce.
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“The farmers are doing essential work” Elenes emphasizes, adding: “While other workers are receiving additional wages for working in danger, the peasants want to cut their wages. It is something we cannot believe,” he questions.
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According to a publication by NPR, at least 10% of the total number of farm workers are the so-called ‘guests’, that is, they are immigrants, they work with a special temporary permit and are provided with food, housing and work, rights that are also often violated.
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In California, there are almost 30,000 workers who have an H2A visa, and supposedly it would be the group affected by this salary reduction. In California, a farmer earns approximately $ 13 an hour, while a worker with H2A earns between $ 14 and $ 18.
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As Armando explains from the Union of Peasants, Trump’s plan would finally affect all workers equally.
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“Under federal law, ranchers must find a way to hire locally and must offer the same terms and salaries as those hired, so if you use hired workers, and your locals as well, then you must pay them the equivalent price, so that would go down. If you have 1 and another 500 stores, I would lower the salary of the other 500 too “ Armando Elenes comments.
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What you should know about the coronavirus in the Central Valley of California:
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- If you have symptoms of COVID-19, such as: fever, cough, shortness of breath, You should call 211 or 311 (in Madera County) before going to any emergency center.
- If you have been affected by the coronavirus, you can apply for unemployment insurance, or receive financial aid from the government. Find out here if you are eligible.
- If you don’t qualify for federal aid, you can find support resources in this link.
- If you don’t have money to buy food, in this places you can get them for free.
- If you are a microentrepreneur, you can get help from the government for keep paying wages. More information here.
- These are non-essential business they must close their doors after the executive order of stay at home, decreed by the Governor of California on March 19.
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