Bills ask lawmakers to end shameful legacy of racism denying farm and domestic workers basic rights
Racial segregation in public accommodations—BANNED
Denying of the right to vote due to race or ethnicity—BANNED
Racial discrimination in housing—BANNED
Denying farm and domestic workers overtime pay—ALLOWED
Sacramento—Monday, June 25 is the 74th anniversary of the landmark federal law setting minimum wages and overtime for American workers. On that day, two classes of workers who are still excluded from the protections because of their race and ethnicity kick off a campaign at the state Capitol to right that wrong.
The Fair Labor Standards Act has been called “the most vital social legislation” in American history because it set a floor below which work would not be tolerated for all American workers—except farm and domestic workers. To win votes for the 1938 law from Southern lawmakers, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was forced to exempt from its provisions workers who produce America’s food and care for people’s homes, children and elders. Then, nearly all of those workers in the Southern U.S. were African Americans. Today in California, most are Latinos, Filipinos and other immigrants.
Among 200 farm and domestic workers gathering to end that discrimination at 10:30 a.m. Monday in the state Capitol basement will be elderly workers who toiled their entire lives in fields and homes plus labor and civil rights leaders and legislators. The United Farm Workers and the California Domestic Workers Coalition are organizing the gathering. The UFW is sponsoring AB 1313, by Assemblymember Michael Allen, to provide overtime pay for farm workers after eight hours a day or 40 hours a week. The CDWC is sponsoring AB 889, by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, to end the exclusion of domestic workers from labor protections such as overtime pay and rest breaks.
Who: Some 200 farm and domestic workers, civil rights leaders, former Lt. Gov. Mervyn M. Dymally, UFW President Arturo Rodriguez, chairs of the Black and Latino legislative caucuses Curren Price and Ricardo Lara.
What: Kicking off a drive to win long-denied overtime pay and other protections.
When: 10:30 a.m., Monday, June 25, 2012.
Where: Basement dining room, state Capitol, Sacramento.
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