1 p.m. today near Arvin
Tom Steyer joins UFW to distribute water bottles to farm workers
Arvin, Calif.—Taking proactive steps to prevent heat-related illness or deaths during this week’s high temperatures, NextGen President Tom Steyer joins United Farm Workers National Vice Presidents Armando Elenes and Erika Navarrete, Diana Tellefson Torres, executive director for the UFW Foundation and national vice president for UFW, and other farm worker activists to distribute “Lifeline” water bottles at 1 p.m. on Wednesday at the four-way stop at David Road and Wheeler Ridge located near Arvin at 4941 David Rd, Bakersfield, CA 93307.
The bottles are printed with information about workers’ rights under the state’s updated rules to prevent heat deaths and illnesses. They cite the heat standards updated last year by Cal-OSHA requiring employers to provide adequate water, shade and rest breaks during hot weather.
This is on the heels of United Farm Workers leaders calling on all employers to take immediate steps to prevent fatalities and illness when temperatures hit triple digits. The UFW and UFW Foundation are currently investigating reports of as many as three recent fatalities involving farm workers in the Kern County region.
The UFW convinced then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to first issue the heat standards in 2005. Cal-OSHA, the state work safety agency, beefed up the standards in 2015. Enforcement was improved as a result of the settlement of lawsuits in May 2015 between the state of California and farm workers partnering with the UFW.
Who: President of NextGen Tom Steyer, UFW National Vice Presidents Armando Elenes and Erika Navarrete, Diana Tellefson Torres, executive director for the UFW Foundation and national vice president for UFW, NextGen Si Se Puede Organizers.
What: Distributing “Lifeline” water bottles during a week of high temperatures.
When: 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016.
Where: David Road and Wheeler Ridge 4 Way Stop located at 4941 David Rd, Bakersfield, CA 93307
###