United Farm Workers:  Legislative/Political Internship Program

Background:

About The United Farm Workers of America (UFW):  Founded in 1962 by Cesar Chavez, the United Farm Workers of America is the nation's first successful and largest farm workers union currently active in 10 states. The UFW continues to organize in major agricultural industries across the nation. Recent years have witnessed dozens of key UFW union contract victories, among them the largest strawberry, rose, winery and mushroom firms in California and the nation. 75 percent of California's mushroom industry is now under union contract. In 2007, the United Farm Workers signed its first contract with Salinas, Calif.-based D'Arrigo Bros., California's third-largest vegetable company. The agreement covers 1,800 farm workers in the Salinas and Imperial valleys. The UFW signed a contract, also in 2007, with Three Mile Canyon Farms, America's largest dairy-and the first major union contract protecting farm workers in Oregon. They soon signed up another nearby dairy, Willow Creek. Many recent UFW-sponsored laws and regulations aide farm workers; in California, the first state regulation in the U.S. prevents further heat deaths of farm workers. The UFW is also pushing its historic bipartisan and broadly backed immigration reform bill.

Purpose:

The focus of this quarter’s internship would be to compile and analyze data from varies city, state, and federal campaigns for the purposes of assisting the decision making of the UFW.

Interns will gain a better understanding of the intricacies of campaign work and how research is used as a vital tool in leveraging campaigns.  This internship is designed to educate college students about larger themes one can expect to gain by working on a political campaign, such as; experience in negotiations, public speaking, comparative thought, research analysis skills, and confidence-building.
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Specific Goal:

It will be the responsibility of the interns to produce vital research material that will enable the UFW in both present and future campaigning techniques that will convey the message of the UFW to the largest audience.  Those who are selected to join this program will become a part of a union of individuals who believe in the depth of moral prosperity and a sense of liberty are to be felt by it members and supporters alike.

Contact Information:

Patty Aviles
paviles@ufw.org
(323) 263-2800 x 212

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