Elvira Munguia Testimony for SB.21.087 (March 2021)

Elvira Munguia Testimony for SB.21.087 (March 2021)

Testimony Comment, SB.21.087 ("Agricultural Workers' Bill of Rights")

Elvira Munguia da testimonio a favor de SB.21.087 (marzo de 2021) y pide a los miembros del comité que reconozcan las duras condiciones de vida de los trabajadores agrícolas migrantes en Colorado debido a la legislación estatal que permite excepciones al salario mínimo, sin pago adicional de horas extras y beneficios que disfrutan los trabajadores de otros sectores.

Elvira Munguia

March 17, 2021

Mitchell Christensen

Elvira Munguia

SB.21.087 ("Agricultural Workers' Bill of Rights")

[Elvira Munguia] [original in Spanish/original en espanol]

[English translator]
Dear Senator Rodriguez and members of the [Business, Labor, & Technology] Committee, thank you very much for the opportunity to speak with you. My name is Elvira Munguia, and I live in La Salle, Colorado; Weld County, Senate District 13. I am a member of the Project Protect Food Systems Workers, and these months, I have had the opportunity to visit and talk with people who work in the field. I fully support SB.21.087, the Colorado Agricultural Worker Rights Act, so I want to give testimony as to why this law is necessary and will help considerably to improve the living conditions of farm workers. At first glance, it is clear that many of them are not provided with the housing offered, and for those who are, it is not appropriate. Many homes do not have showers, bathrooms, heating, air conditioning, and, in more serious cases, they do not have electricity or gas. After their long work days, it is necessary to rest, but their housing only offers them a cold place or one with extremely high temperatures. This is not favorable for any human being to regain strength for the next day’s work. They migrate from other states or other countries, in many cases leaving their families, looking for better possibilities to move forward and give their families a better life. In some cases, five co-workers live together so as to share the cost of rent, utilities, and food, and thus save and send a small portion of their salaries to their families. The wages of agricultural workers are not enough to meet their basic housing needs, as their hours are very long, they cannot have other income opportunities, and, when they work overtime, they are not paid for it. These are the real conditions that Colorado farm workers experience, which are not suitable for them as they play an essential role in our society. SB.21.087 is important because it can improve their conditions and thus eliminate exceptions to the minimum wage and overtime laws and benefits–uh–from which they have been excluded. That is why it is very important to protect farm workers in the state of Colorado, and,for this reason, I kindly request that you support Senator Danielson and SB.21.087.

Elvira testified on March 17, 2021 at 3:31 PM to 3:33 PM for the Senate Business, Labor, & Technology Committee.