AIR DATE SEPTEMBER 1, 2022
Title: Support for Workers in Central Florida
This year for Labor Day, we’re investigating resources available to central Florida workers and organizations dedicated to supporting their basic human rights.
Guests and Locations
Central Florida Jobs with Justice, Community Organizer – Ofelia Sanchez
Farmworker Association of Florida, General Coordinator – Neza Xiuhtecutli
Central Floridian Immigrant Workers Have Multiple Supports Available
Over 20% of Florida residents are immigrants, and one out of every eight people in the state who is a U.S. citizen has at least one parent who immigrated to the country.
Although job opportunities are often plentiful, they aren’t always available to someone from this cultural background. Ofelia Sanchez is working to fix that issue. She’s the Orlando Community Organizer for Central Florida Jobs with Justice.
“We’re an organization that believes in the rights of workers to have collective bargaining, employment security, and a decent standard of living,” she told me. “That’s what we all deserve, and the way that we fight for justice, the way that we fight for these values, is through longstanding relationships and formal partnerships with labor unions, community organizations, people of faith, and even student activists.”
Sanchez says that people are losing hope in their workplaces and communities. She works to solve injustice issues as they arise to ensure people can have the resources needed to support themselves and their families.
Help Doesn’t Have to Come from the Government
I recently visited Lxs Campesinxs, which is a community garden in Apopka. The Farmworker’s Association of Florida started it as part of their overall food sovereignty initiative.
Neza Xiuhtecutli is the General Coordinator who oversees the programs that farmworkers in Central Florida can access through the association. She told me that one of their biggest current priorities is to improve workplace health and safety for all the workers. “We provide trainings in pesticide and heat exposures to ensure that, although we’re working on different levels to ensure some protections are in place for works, that they are aware of the ways they can protect themselves.”
Xiuhtecutli says that farmworkers have one of the toughest jobs in the state. Not only are they working long hours, but they also must stay productive in adverse conditions. “They don’t make a lot of money, and a lot of them don’t have legal immigration status, so those are more hurdles we must face.”
Those issues are why Sanchez fights for universal rights. “Feeling safety not only of keeping your job, but in your job, if you work in something that puts you at risk… there are things that can help you stay employed, take care of yourself, and provide for your family.”
Anyone Can Get Involved to Distribute Necessary Supports
“We’re always taking volunteers,” said Xiuhtecutli. “We also take a lot of donations, so part of our work is making sure that [the money] goes out to the community and to those who need it.”
Sanchez told me that being aware of the problem is the first step toward finding justice in employment. “We’ve got all the channels, Instagram, Facebook, all those things, where we post our victories and our pictures. Sign up for our email newsletter to receive our calls to action and alerts.”
When people come together, amazing results happen!
More information about Sanchez’s work and how to get involved is found at https://cfjwj.org. You can also connect with the Farmworker’s Association of Florida by visiting https://floridafarmworkers.org/.
