Thursday, June 9th & Friday, June 10th
“Human Billboards” in the Central Valley urge Governor
Brown to sign Fair Treatment for Farm Workers Act
The drive for enactment of a law making it easier for farm workers to join unions is coming to the Central Valley June 9 and 10, 2011.
Dozens of farm workers, community leaders and other supporters will form “human billboards” in Lamont and Poplar on June 9th and in Fresno and Delano on the 10th. With their voices and signs, they will ask that Gov. Jerry Brown sign SB 104 – the Fair Treatment for Farm Workers Act recently passed by the Legislature.
Along with “Sign SB 104” placards, the group will display red-and-black United Farm Workers flags while chanting “Si se puede!” (“Yes, it can be done!”). The farm laborers’ faces will be covered with bandanas, symbolizing the fear and retaliation workers often encounter during union-representation elections.
Since 1975, many California farm laborers have been intimidated or coerced into voting against unions. Part of the reason: Polling place elections on union representation are held on the job, under the stern gaze of bosses and contractors, who openly fire and threaten pro-union workers.
SB 104 would allow farm laborers to fill out state-issued ballots in the privacy of their homes, without bosses’ interference. The bill DOES NOT end the secret-ballot process; it simply gives farm laborers a new option to make their voices heard.
The bill is expected on the Governor’s desk in mid-June.
Each “human-billboard” event lasts about one hour.
Thursday, June 9th
4–5 p.m. in Lamont at Main Street and Hall Road.
4-5 p.m. in Poplar, at Road 192 and Highway 190.
Friday, June 10th
3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. in Delano, at County Line Road and Girard Street.
4–5 p.m. in Fresno at Blackstone and Shaw Avenues
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