Farmworkers demand higher wages, hazardous pay in Healdsburg

Maria Salinas knows from her own experience how much hard work under difficult conditions can cost a farm worker.

Her father worked the land for 13 years, often with few breaks and little water in ever-rising temperatures, until he was physically unable to continue. He died of cancer in 2014.

Salinas, a farm worker herself, says there has been little improvement in working conditions since her father’s death a decade ago.

That’s why she joined other workers and their allies at Healdsburg Plaza on Sunday afternoon to demand fair wages and better working conditions ahead of a march through the city.

“(Farm workers) leave all their energy in the fields,” she said, adding that seeing their sacrifices spurred her to mobilize. “I want to help so that the next generation doesn’t have to suffer so much injustice.”

The event, organized by workers and North Bay Jobs with Justice, a Santa Rosa-based labor rights coalition, drew about 500 people.

The workers demanded higher wages of $25 per hour or $250 per ton of grapes picked.

They also demanded that they be paid hazard pay if they had to work in dangerous conditions, such as extreme heat or smoky conditions due to fires. They also demanded compensation for lost wages during fires or floods.

The demands are familiar, but Sunday’s march came amid a summer of prolonged heat waves and heightened fire activity. The Point Fire in June burned about 3,000 acres, endangering homes and vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley northwest of Healdsburg. It also came before the grape harvest season, which typically begins in August.

Organizers say the issue has become more urgent as climate change leads to more extreme weather events throughout the year, impacting workers and the $1.2 billion wine industry.

After the organizers’ opening remarks, local band Tamborazo Santo Domingo and workers carrying a large black and red woodpecker led the group through the streets of downtown Healdsburg.

Their voices and the sound of the drums and percussion instruments grew louder as they walked south down Healdsburg Avenue.

The farmworkers were also joined by members of several unions, including hotel workers represented by Unite Here Local 2 and the Teamsters, as well as elected officials such as Rohnert Park City Councilmember Jackie Elward and Healdsburg City Councilmember Ron Edwards. Edwards said on social media that he was there to learn more about the farmworkers’ experiences and concerns.

The protesters drew the attention of visitors eating and shopping at restaurants and stores along the road as their procession made its way to the roundabout and then southeast to the Healdsburg Memorial Bridge, where the protesters temporarily closed the road.

“We are here to fight and we will fight until workers get what they deserve,” said Aura Aguilar, an organizer with North Bay Jobs with Justice, as the group gathered on the bridge before walking back to the plaza.

Salinas, 43, says farmworkers often face difficult choices: work in hazardous conditions or receive no pay at all.

Some wineries offer hazard pay and disaster insurance to their seasonal workers, but most farmworkers are not eligible for such benefits.

Salinas said their workday is sometimes cut short when temperatures rise. Temperatures often rise to or exceed 95 degrees in the field by 11 a.m., and they are paid a few hours before they are sent home.

They want to be paid for eight full hours, under the disaster compensation proposal.

That’s critical as rent, food and other goods prices rise, making it harder for workers to support their families, she said.

“We need a decent wage to put bread on the table,” she said.

The group chanted in Spanish, “Listen, listen, we are in battle!” and “The people united will never be defeated!” as they ended the approximately 2-mile march at Healdsburg Plaza shortly before 6 p.m.

Anabel Garcia, a farm worker who helped organize Sunday’s event, said she was honored to march with so many supporters in their fight for better working conditions.

“We will stay together until we achieve victory,” she said as the event drew to a close.

Organizers said they plan to keep up the pressure on the wine industry until their demands are met.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @paulinapineda22.