Farmworker Overtime Pay and $65 million for Climate-Friendly Farming!
In September 2016, we saw two key victories in campaigns supported by the Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative. At the end of August, the Collaborative called on our network to join unions, environmentalists, faith groups, and others in fighting for labor rights of the farmworkers that are essential to our food system. The response was strong and quick…thank you to individuals throughout the North Bay Area who made calls!
Assembly Bill 1066, for the first time makes farmworkers eligible for overtime pay if they work more than an eight-hour day or 40 hours a week. The bill was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on Monday! California’s farm workers perform some of the most physically-demanding jobs with pay and working conditions at levels that most people would not tolerate. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 has excluded farm workers from wage protections and maximum hour standards for the last 78 years.
Juan Garcia, internal coordinator for the UFW’s Santa Rosa office, said the governor’s signature will end a “Jim Crow-era” practice that discriminated against farmworkers. “Farmworkers won’t view themselves as lower-class citizens,” he said. “They will see themselves as another part of the state’s economy”.
The Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative was proud to join diverse allies endorsing AB 1066. Key faith-based allies include: California Catholic Conference, the Religious Action Center of the Union of Reform Judaism, and the Lutheran Office of Public Policy. This historic victory will give overtime pay to farmworkers across the state, but will be phased in over 4 years.
Climate-Friendly Farming:
In 2015, the Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative called on our network of faith groups to support the Healthy Soils Initiative and other programs incentivizing climate-friendly agricultural practices. At the 2015 Spirit of the Harvest event, Renata Brillinger, Executive Director of California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN), made a call to action as she discussed how sustainable agriculture can be one of many tools in fighting climate change.
The successful legislative effort resulted in the passage of key climate bills, announced alongside the appropriation of more than $65 million for climate-smart agriculture programs, which will provide needed resources for farmers and ranchers to address a changing climate. On August 31st, legislators passed a pair of budget bills which include $65 million for programs that provide resources for growers to lower greenhouse gas emissions, store carbon in soils and offer multiple benefits to agricultural producers and the environment. The budget allocation includes $7.5 million for the new Healthy Soils Program; as well as $7.5 million to improve water efficiency; and $50 million for reducing methane emissions from dairies.
“We work with farmers and ranchers who demand action on climate change,” said Jeanne Merrill, Policy Director with the CalCAN, a coalition of sustainable and organic agriculture organizations. “The Governor and the Legislature’s actions further empower farmers and ranchers to develop needed solutions to the climate crisis.”
The newly created Healthy Soils Program will reward growers who employ multi-benefit practices that treat their farms and ranches as carbon sinks. The leadership of Senator Lois Wolk (D – Davis)—who authored multiple bills over the years to create a state climate change and agriculture program, including SB 1350 (2016) and SB 367 (2015)—was critical in the establishment of the Healthy Soils Program.
“Many farmers really want to reduce water use and greenhouse gas emissions, but we need programs like these to adopt new practices,” said Judith Redmond, co-owner of a diverse organic farm in Guinda.
The legislation reaffirmed the state’s commitment to reducing emissions through 2030 and sent a clear message to California’s 76,000 farms and ranches that their help is needed in the fight against climate change.
Contact us today to learn how your faith group can get involved in sustainable farming and food justice advocacy or in hosting an advocacy forum! (707) 634-4672 or [email protected]