Alianza Campesina — a collaborative effort between CAUSE, MICOP, and local farmworkers — will come together for a march and rally, 11 a.m. Sunday, April 28, to kick off a farmworker living wage campaign and to celebrate May Day.
The event in Santa Maria will include a rally, and march from the Town Center (corner of Broadway and Main streets) to the Santa Maria Fairgrounds, site of the annual Strawberry Festival.
Farmworkers, organizers and advocates will outline how, and why, local elected officials should support the campaign for a more just work environment in the fields.
Earlier in April, Alianza Campesina published a new research report, “Harvesting Dignity: The Case for a Living Wage for Farmworkers.”
The research informed the new campaign as it reported that current wages paid to farmworkers aren’t enough to keep up with the increasing cost of living and that the agriculture industry can afford to pay higher wages.