Four California Farmworkers Dead in Four Weeks

Ramiro Carillo Rodriguez, 48, Thursday became the second farmworker to die of heatstroke in the past week and the fourth within the last four weeks in California, following Wednesday's passing of Abdon Felix Garcia, 42, and before that, Jose Hernandez, 64, and pregnant Maria Isabel Jimenez, 17, whose fiancé had finally saved up enough money and bought a wedding ring.

There have been laws in place in California since 2005, when the state under the leadership of Gov. Schwarzenegger became the first in the nation to attempt to provide heat protection for farm laborers. However, any law is only as good as its enforcement, and so far the past legislation has failed due to lack of implementation and oversight. In the midst of California's current heatwave, Schwartzenegger announced a more vigorous and comprehensive training program for employers. Failure to provide minimal heat protection such as access to water, shade, rest, and a trained first-aid response to symptoms is wanton cruelty and nothing more. If four dentists, politicians, or lawyers had died in four weeks from identical, foreseeable, and preventable work-related injuries, I can only imagine that we would have seen a flurry of civil and punitive action. My hope is that the recent spate of needless deaths - of human beings every bit as worthwhile as dentists or lawyers - will result in more vigorous and comprehensive punitive measures if employers continue to neglect their legal, not to mention ethical, obligations

The last link is to a news story about the new measures; here is the UFW's piece:

Ramiro Carillo was the fourth farm worker in the last two weeks to die of heat stroke and the second this week alone!

E-mail Gov. Schwarzenegger today!

Ramiro Carrillo Rodriguez, 48, father of two, died in Selma, CA on Thursday afternoon after working all day for Sun Valley Packing in Reedley thru a farm labor contractor. Ramiro had complained being sick from the heat. He was taken home by his foreman. He passed out almost as soon as he got in the house. By the time an ambulance got there he was dead on arrival. He leaves behind two children ages 13 and 16.

Ramiro's death makes two farm workers dying of heatstroke last week, four farm worker heat deaths in the last 8 weeks and the 13th farm worker heat death since CA Governor Schwarzenegger took office.

Something needs to be done immediately to prevent more needless deaths. Please help.

Click here to send a fax to California Gov. Schwarzenegger (if you live in California, a cc of your e-mail will also go to your legislators) and tell them this has to stop now.

Ramiro Carrillo Rodriguez's death follows the deaths I told you about on Thursday. 42 year-old farm worker Abdon Felix Garcia, father of three, died on Wednesday after spending the morning and early afternoon working for Sunview Vineyards in Arvin. The coroner says Felix's body core temperature was measured at 108 degrees just 13 minutes before his death. 64 year-old Jose Macarena Hernandez died during a record-breaking heat wave on June 20 while harvesting butternut squash in Santa Maria on land owned by Sunrise Growers. UFW President Arturo Rodriguez attended his funeral yesterday. And then there was the heat death of 17 year-old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez who died while laboring in the Stockton area grape vines.

Governor Schwarzenegger came to Maria Isabel's funeral and said he would do everything possible to prevent this from happening again. Has he done everything he can? With the recent deaths of Ramiro Carrillo Rodriguez, Abdon Felix Garcia and Jose Hernandez it is clear the state does not have the capacity to protect farm workers.

As California's summer sizzles we must do everything we can to insure that no more farm workers fall victim to the heat because the laws written to protect them are not enforced. Speaker Emeritus Fabian Nunez has introduced legislation which has moved out of the assembly and which is now in the state senate. It will make it easier for farm workers to organize and enforce the laws that the state cannot enforce.

Please take action immediately and click to fax California Gov. Schwarzenegger (if you live in California, a cc of your message will also be e-mailed to your legislators) and tell them something needs to be done NOW. It’s time to put a law in place that will allow farm workers to protect themselves!

Thank you for caring.

Arturo S. Rodriguez
President

http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/heatdeath13