As Thanksgiving time approaches, many look forward to celebrating the season of sharing with a special meal. As we sit down for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, we're thankful for the bounty of fresh food we enjoy on Thanksgiving and every day of the year. Let's give thanks to the farmworkers who do the labor that brings this food to our tables.

Farm workers have simple hopes and desires -- a safe job, paid holidays, adequate wages, decent housing, and food on the table. Unfortunately, many farm workers have a long way to go to achieve these basic necessities. That's why I'm asking you to help give a better workplace and a better life to more of these truly essential workers – by sending a holiday gift to the UFW today.

Guadalupe Gomez, who picks wine grapes in California for minimum wage, recounts the injustices that come with the job: “The foreman yells at me, telling me to give more production than what I already give. He does not let me get my breaks. He doesn't want to pay me sick time, I ask him for a sick day and he tells me that I don't have hours and that I don't qualify. The bathrooms are always dirty, they are not cleaned.” 

The difference between what non-union workers like Guadalupe endure and what union workers experience is huge. Lourdes Cardenas works under a union contract. She says, “Despite the fact that I work with a farm labor contractor, they treat me very good. Our breaks are given to us on time. The water is always very fresh and the bathrooms are always very clean. But the most important thing is that they have a lot of respect for all the women who work here.”

This is the power of the union. It's the power of workers joining together. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, would you consider making a gift to the UFW to help continue our efforts to give a better life to more farm workers all year round? You'll give the very best holiday gift to those whose hard work provides your food and drink at Thanksgiving … and throughout the year!

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