CA Latinos Pressure Governor To Sign Farm Workers Act

SACRAMENTO - A prominent group of Latina leaders today joined the 12-day drive urging Gov. Jerry Brown to sign SB 104, the Fair Treatment for Farm Workers Act.

Among those participating at the state Capitol in Sacramento are Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Executive Secretary-Treasurer Maria Elena Durazo, former San Jose Vice Mayor and South Bay Central Labor Council leader Cindy Chavez, UFW Vice Presidents Erika Oropeza and Diana Tellefson Torres, and former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Maria Echaveste.

SB 104 would give farm workers the choice of traditional workplace polling place balloting or confidential state-issued ballots to be filled out in privacy at home. Gov. Brown extended card-check voting rights to all state employees in 1978.

The campaign for the legislation that went to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk last Thursday is organized by the United Farm Workers and includes a rotating fast by farm laborers and their backers on the north steps of the Capitol building facing L Street.

Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa will join the fast on Wednesday as well as United Food and Commercial Workers International President Joe Hansen. On Thursday, Cesar Chavez's brother and sister, Richard Chavez and Rita Chavez Medina, travel to Sacramento to join the fast.

Also fasting on Thursday will be state Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), author of SB 104.