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On July 9, The Ventura County Star printed the CalMatters article, “Sacrificing safety for profit,” on the front page followed, on July 31, by Star reporter Tom Kisken’s article, “COVID in Cropland: Local growers tout early protections; farmworker advocates say it wasn’t enough.” The “Friday Group” of growers, farmworker advocates, public health officials and others that has worked throughout the pandemic to keep workers safe is happy to see this local action acknowledged.
The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on far too many families in our community. Unfortunately, there were, as reported by CAL/OSHA, unacceptable violations of safety rules. On the other hand, we are proud that many Ventura County farmers chose to go above and beyond compliance and take part in collaborative efforts with local government and farmworker advocates to protect the health and safety of our community. While not every company participated in our initiatives, many industry leaders here in Ventura County went the extra mile to protect farmworkers from the spread of COVID-19 and support those who fell ill.
On March 2, 2020, a group of farmers and farmworker advocates anticipated the vulnerability of farmworkers to COVID. They quickly convened a larger meeting of local farmers, elected officials, government agencies, the Farmworker Resource Program, the Agricultural Commissioner, MICOP, CAUSE, Lideres Campesinas, and others. The purpose of the group was “to support the safety and health of farmworkers during the COVID-19 pandemic.” This group was informally named the “Friday Group.” While disagreements sometimes arose, our group worked diligently to find common ground, build coalitions, and compromise to make progress for farmworker health.
In swift response to the ever-changing conditions, the group continued to meet weekly from March through August 2020 and bi-weekly through June 2021 addressing how to keep farmworkers safe and informed. The “Friday Group” accomplishments include issuing farmworker ID cards to ease quarantine fears, and outlining and distributing best practices for agricultural employers. The group collaborated to disseminate accurate information to farmers and farmworkers and to facilitate food and mask distribution, health education and community vaccination clinics on and off the farm.
In Ventura County 1.5 million surgical masks and 100,000 KN95 masks were distributed to employers and to farmworkers. Over 100,000 informative flyers were used as paycheck inserts and tens of thousands of hand sanitizers were distributed. These meetings were also the genesis of the Farmworker Household Assistance Program which gave financial assistance of over $7 million, including county funds and $400,000 of private donations from farmers and others.
As the peak of the pandemic began to subside, the Friday Group continued to build on the relationships formed and, in June 2021, reconstituted itself as the Ventura County Farmworker Health Collaborative. The July 31 Star article highlights the vulnerability of farmworkers and the continuing need for collaborative efforts to address safety and health issues, an undertaking that the Ventura County Farmworker Health Collaborative and its diverse members are well positioned to carry forward.
For more information, contact Debbie Jackson at dbrokawjackson@gmail.com or 805-856-8015.
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