The community came together in Santa Maria recently to support and comfort the family of Jose Samuel Velásquez, a local farmworker who diedand at age 22 during a work-related accident in Rancho Guadalupe.

The vigil was organized by Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE); Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP); and Tu Tiempo Digital.

With music, flowers, prayers and candles, more than 80 people including local residents, farmworkers, community leaders, and organizations gathered in the plaza at Broadway and Main streets.

Velásquez, originally from El Salvador, leaves behind a two-year-old son and his partner. The accident remains under investigation.

“Tragic accidents like this one suffered by Jose, are the result of the lack of commitment, compassion and humanity on the part of agricultural organizations and their owners,’’ said Zulema Aleman, CAUSE’s associate organizing director.

“Some other examples we have seen recently have to do with heat safety,” Aleman said. “Farmworkers have reported a lack of fresh, cold water and sufficient shade when temperatures exceed 80 degrees; lack of medical support after an accident and during recovery; lack of support for their families when an accident occurs; and also being subjected to unsafe work conditions such as working by themselves in muddy fields and without proper equipment or training, as punishment for speaking out about their rights.”

In California every employer has a legal obligation to provide and maintain a safe and healthful workplace for employees, according to the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973.

Companies are also responsible for ensuring all safety and health policies and procedures are clearly communicated and understood by all employees, CAUSE reports. They need to provide the proper training, and equipment to protect the employees well-being, medical care, temporary or permanent disability benefits, supplemental job displacement benefits and payments to spouse, children or other dependents if worker die from a job injury or illness.

According to a UC Merced Health Study conducted between June 2020 and June 2022, “out of 300 farmworkers, 25% reported getting injured on the job, 72% said they continued working despite their injuries.”

In addition, it said: “farmworkers experienced exposure to health risks on the job: heat, pesticides, wildfire smoke, and COVID-19. One in twelve farmworkers reported working near pesticides either often (5%) or very often (3%).

Nearly one in six reported that smoke made it difficult to breathe either often (8%) or very often (7%). And one in six reported they were often (6%) or very often (11%) told that there was “no risk” of contracting COVID-19 — despite farmworkers having one of the state’s highest pandemic-related death rates for workers.”

By raising the voice of working people as community leaders, CAUSE said it is advocating for an economy that works for everyone, and guarantees dignity, justice and opportunity for working people.

“Now our mission is to make sure Jose Samuel’s passing was not in vain,” said Hazel Davalos, CAUSE’s co-executive director. “We are committed to supporting his family in holding the company accountable.

“Alongside the farmworker community, we will advocate for safety reforms that will protect agricultural workers and prevent accidents like this in the future.”

Some of the current campaigns promoted in Santa María are to protect farmworker rights, create awareness from toxic chemicals and pesticides, and inform pregnant farmworkers of their rights.

CAUSE also partners with other organizations like MICOP to improve local resources and connect the community with health, legal, educational, language interpretation services, and labor opportunities.

“In California, more than half of our farmworkers come from indigenous communities and speak their indigenous languages,” said Genevieve Flores-Haro, MICOP’s associate director. “If you had fruit or vegetables today, there is a 50% chance an indigenous person picked your meal.

“We will continue fighting for indigenous language access and workplace rights for farmworkers not only in our region but across the state. We mourn the untimely and preventable death of Jose Samuel Velasquez,” she said.

For more about CAUSE, visit https://causenow.org/.