Remembering Farm Workers at Thanksgiving

VOICES-I remember driving down the Pacific Coast Highway to Oxnard. I looked out of the window and saw men and women slowly going up and down rows picking vegetables that are served on our Thanksgiving table. I remember noticing their stooped backs and how hard they labored. And again I appreciated the work of my dear friend, Cesar Chavez. A man I consider a true hero, who spent his life helping the most impoverished. I continue to support the UFW and their work and hope you will too.   

I have been a supporter of the United Farm Workers since Cesar founded the union more than 50 years ago. My experiences with the UFW have been among the most exhilarating and meaningful of my life. I was at Cesar's side during his last fast in 1988. I prayed with him, marched with him, joined in the grape boycott that touched our nation's conscience. I've been arrested at farm worker protests both with Cesar and with his successor, Arturo.

Today, 21 years after Cesar's passing, I continue to be inspired by his legacy and all his union does to help farm workers. I am proud to help the UFW carry on the struggle to create a better life for low-paid agricultural workers and their families. My good friend Arturo just shared these stories of workers struggling at the holidays. I was moved by these stories and wanted to help. I hope you will too.

I feel for Maria, a hard working single mother of three. For the past 17 years she has labored in just about every possible seasonal job in the table grape industry. Maria shared, “I make $9 an hour working in the field and it is not enough to support myself and my family. Sometimes I don’t have enough money to buy food for my daughters. I have to limit them in what they eat. Some years during the winter I have not been able to buy them adequate clothing for the season...It saddens me that my daughters have to endure the cold because I do not earn a decent wage.”

Sadly, Maria is not alone. Arturo told me the stories of other workers in similar circumstances. Miguel has worked in the fields for 20 years harvesting table grapes near Delano, CA. He worries about his 5 year old daughter, Mariela. Miguel told us, “I make $9 an hour working in the fields harvesting grapes. It is not enough to support my family and to give my daughter a decent life. I always have to decide between paying the rent on time, buying food or not eat. Sometimes my girl asks me for a hamburger with French fries but I have no money to buy it for her.”

There are so many other workers who endure the same situations. It’s an uphill battle for the UFW. But I’m proud of the change they make in the lives of these hardworking people. A union is a solution that can help these workers and so many more. It protects their rights. It guarantees them better wages. It keeps them from being ripped off and shorted hours.

Please give the UFW your support. From my own experience I can tell you, it is one of the most important and rewarding things you'll ever do. If we believe and strive, there's nothing we can't do together. In the words of my beloved friend Cesar, iSi, se puede! - Yes, we can!

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving,

 

(Martin Sheen is an actor and activist.)

 

 

 

 

CityWatch

Vol 12 Issue 95

Pub: Nov 25, 2014