Delores Del Campo Testimony for SB.21.087 (March 2021)

[English translator] Mr. President Rodriguez, uh, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to be with you. Good morning, my name is Delores Del Campo. I am a member of the Project Protect Food Systems Workers. I have supported and spoken with hundreds of agricultural workers this year. I support SB.21.087. I would like to testify to let you know why this law is necessary for the [farm workers?]. I started working for the Migrant Education Program in 2004, and to date, I have worked in organizations that work directly with people who work in agriculture and their families. I have always seen economic and physical abuse due to working conditions of people who work in agriculture. However, in October 2020, I started working on this Promotora–or Community Health Worker–Project, and it was very surprising for me when I looked for a ranch where they had told me there were new workers because the conditions were even worse. I met some sheepherders, and when I asked where they were from, they told me that they are from Peru, and they work and live in the same place where the sheep are from October to March. They told me that when they are in this area they do not have any means of transportation to get to town. They are–they are there surviving only with the food that the boss brings them every week or two weeks. They do not have any social or religious activities. They come from Peru with the work permits, and every three years, they have the right to leave for three months to enjoy their family. Where they live, they do not have electricity. They live in a small mobile home, and the house is heated with a wood stove that serves as a heater and a stove. You would think with a 24/7 job, without a vehicle, with a cell phone only to make calls, and these living conditions, of course, the pay should be good, right? Well, in reality, they earn $1,400 per month. If we count that they are taking care of the sheep at least 10 to 12 hours per day. If they work 10 hours per day, it would be 300 hours per month, and if we calculate, they are earning $4.66 per hour without health insurance, or holidays, [or] etc. If they worked 12 hours per day for 30 days, it would be 360 hours per month. Their wage would be $3.88 [per hour]. I wonder: isn’t this modern slavery? They come with a work permit issued by the United States of America, so they are not breaking any laws. Should they not have the same wage and opportunities as the rest of us? For these reasons, legal change is required. A minimum wage must be ensured for people who work and [unintelligible]. Therefore I urge committee members to support Senator Danielson and SB.21.087.