Tarino Carlos says his wife Luz is as beautiful today as when they first met.  The only thing he worries about when he thinks of their relationship is what they will do for income when they are both too old to work.  Employed by companies without union contracts, neither have any type of retirement plan.  As he nears 80, he stresses the importance of organizing among his younger coworkers.  "I tell them, wherever there is a union, there is hope."

Photo: Jocelyn Sherman

Valentine Gonzalez’ eyes burn every morning.  It’s from the pesticides sprayed on the grapes the night before.  When working, sometimes he gets thirsty, but there are times when no drinking water is available for hours.  The company pressured workers when they tried to join the UFW to make things better.  “We were told if the union wins, we’d lose,” he said.  “No more work.” 

Photo: Jocelyn Sherman

Manuel Nunez watched one of his female coworkers get fired after failing a required physical fitness test.  She had just had a cesarean section and was not able to lift the weights.  He remembers how she cried.  It made him think of Patricia, his own daughter and how he wants better for her. "I tell her to finish school and get a degree," he said. "That is my hope for her."

Photo: Jocelyn Sherman

Lucila Lopez considers herself a strong woman. A mother of four children, she has worked in grapes for more than 20 years.  A U.S. resident, Lucila says she is tired of pity.  "When we are treated badly, we should blame ourselves. We shouldn’t be afraid to stand up for our rights."

Photo: Jocelyn Sherman

Sabas Arrendondo worked more than five years at the same company before restrooms were installed onsite for workers to use.  During that time, he was forced to work under four different Social Security numbers.  "The majority of farm workers are too scared to organize," he said. "They tell us if we try to join the union, we’ll get fired."

Photo: Jocelyn Sherman

Baltazar Aguirre believes that workers, who feel they are respected, work better. He has been a union member since 1975.  The union, he says, has made it possible for him to own the house he does, benefit from a strong medical plan and enjoy time with his family with paid holidays and vacation time. “Without the union, I would have suffered much more in my life,” he said.

Photo: Isela Pena-Rager

After being sick, Maria Carrillo was forced to pass a physical exam in order for her to return to work. Having to ride a bicycle and lift weights was difficult for Maria. She grew dizzy from the exercises and failed her exam.  She was fired as a result.  “I don’t understand how me taking a physical exam where I have to ride a bike is important,” she said. “I don’t work riding a bike in the fields.”

Miriam Flores remembers watching her supervisors getting angry at workers because they were singing in the fields. “The supervisor said he wouldn’t pay them because they were singing,” she said. “I felt the boss had no right to silence them.  They weren’t doing anything wrong. What’s wrong with being happy at work?  It’s a field – there is plenty of room to sing without interfering with anyone else’s job.”

Photo: Moses Reyes

Gloria Ramirez says female workers suffer most in the fields. “If a young female worker doesn’t give into her supervisor’s sexual requests, he will fire her or make her life a living hell.  He’ll punish all of us for days – with no food, water or restroom breaks.”  She says the break times workers are given are not long enough. “The bathrooms are located too far for us to use,” she said. “There have been times I have really had to use the restroom, but they are so far, I could not make it in time and accidentally had to urinate on myself.” 

Photo: Lloyd Levine

“Our bosses simply do not fear the law,” said Manuel Cruz, who has spent nearly 30 years working in the fields and watching workers be exploited over and over again. He says it’s the financial hardship that farm workers have that keeps them silent. “We have a need to work,” he said. “If we say something, we fear we will lose our jobs. Many workers do not speak out – we have seen too many get fired for doing so.”

Photo: Lloyd Levine

Bernardo Hernandez says working in the heat is the hardest part of his job. “The foremen, they just work us too hard,” he says. “We get so tired from the heat.” He also says the restrooms are hardly cleaned. “I feel sorry for the women,” he said. “There are so many of them and only one restroom.”

Photo: Lloyd Levine

Ofelia Flores has worked under a union contract for almost 30 years.  She believes her work is important. “My work is significant,” she says. “I pick wine grapes, and wine is something universally known throughout the world.  I like to think of how people enjoy wine and how what I do helps contribute to the enjoyment of so many.”

Photo: Rona Talcott

Before working under a union contract, Antonio Vargas says he was always behind on his bills and had many financial hardships. “Thanks to the UFW, I was able to regain solid ground financially,” he said.  “Workers need to understand the many benefits the union brings them,” he said. “They also need to be given the chance to benefit from the cause.”

Photo: Rona Talcott

Margarita Hernandez was fired after working one day and not meeting her foreman’s quota. “The owners want the workers to get a certain quantity done by a certain time and oftentimes, it is simply not possible,” she said. “What saddens me the most is they just fire us without giving us an opportunity to explain ourselves.”

Photo: Moses Reyes

Jairo Luque works for an organic carrot farm where the portable restrooms in the field are hardly cleaned. “They smell horrible,” he said. The restrooms are hitched to trucks and moved around the fields for workers to use.  Recently, a restroom that needed to be cleaned and emptied out was moved, and Jairo witnessed urine spilling out on the organic carrots. “If the public knew about this, I don’t think anyone would want to eat the carrots,” he said. “I know I wouldn’t.”

Photo: Moses Reyes

“I knew I wasn’t alone anymore…” was how Evelyn Aguilar said she felt when she realized the UFW was designed to protect her rights.  Prior to joining the union, Evelyn was sexually harassed by her foreman. What made her feel worse was she never had the courage to say anything despite knowing what he was doing was wrong.  The union has since changed her perspective.  “I have a voice now,” she said, “and, I’m no longer afraid to use it.”

Photo: Moses Reyes

Juan Manuel Nunez Alvarado believes his life is better because of the UFW.  Before he worked under a union contract, working conditions were poor.  “We’d be given 10 minutes to eat our lunches – with no other time to rest,” he said. “I also often saw the foreman harass the female workers and mistreat the males."

Every day that Eva Zenteno goes to work, her mom is there. They work for the same company.  She remembers how once her mom wanted to take her break. “The foreman started yelling at her for sitting down,” she said. “He called her a ‘useless cow.’” A new mother, Eva never wants her daughter to hear anyone speak to her that way. “It angered me,” she said. “It was so humiliating and offensive.”

Photo: Moses Reyes

Mirna Vasquez is a U.S. citizen.  Working in the citrus industry, Mirna is fully aware how much damage a little frost can bring. She has worked through two freezes in the last decade.  She said the UFW helped her family survive both.  “During the months of the freeze, the UFW helped me find employment and my family received periodic food donations,” she said. “I am always confident they will help us.”