To: Fresno County Ag commissioner
It happened again: Workers sprayed with pesticides while laboring for Gerawan
Sign the Gerawan Workers' Petition:
Immediately investigate the February 22, 2016 drift incident, where Gerawan workers were pruning in Gerawan's peach orchards and a neighboring almond orchard was sprayed with pesticides. The Gerawan foremen telling the workers that it isn't right for them to be sprayed, but taking no action to move the workers to safety, is totally unacceptable. Also unacceptable is Gerawan's action of taking some of the workers to the office to see a doctor who did not even check their blood, even if workers were complaining about nausea, itchy eyes and more.
Last time the Gerawan workers were exposed to pesticides, it took your office 15 months to investigate and rule that Gerawan's behavior was against the law.
A delay of that type is not acceptable.
Immediately investigate the February 22, 2016 drift incident, where Gerawan workers were pruning in Gerawan's peach orchards and a neighboring almond orchard was sprayed with pesticides. The Gerawan foremen telling the workers that it isn't right for them to be sprayed, but taking no action to move the workers to safety, is totally unacceptable. Also unacceptable is Gerawan's action of taking some of the workers to the office to see a doctor who did not even check their blood, even if workers were complaining about nausea, itchy eyes and more.
Last time the Gerawan workers were exposed to pesticides, it took your office 15 months to investigate and rule that Gerawan's behavior was against the law.
A delay of that type is not acceptable.
Why is this important?
Back in August 2013, we came to you when peach workers laboring for Gerawan were sent into a field to work after the field was sprayed with pesticides. It took 15 months for the Fresno Ag Commissioner to investigate and rule that Gerawan’s behavior was against the law. This time workers were pruning in Gerawan’s peach orchards, when a neighboring almond orchard was sprayed with pesticides.
This is what 10-year Gerawan employee Aurelio Landa tells us:
"On Monday, February 22, my crew and another 4 more (crews) were working on the west side in the pruning of peaches. At approximately 8:00am, some machines began to fumigate in the field west of where we were working.
At 10:00am, when we went out for breakfast, a machine came out in front of our crew and fumigated us all. The foreman Jose Torres commented that it wasn’t correct and they should have notified us that they were going to fumigate.
One of my coworkers, whom they call “El Chaparro”, made signs to the sprayer so that he would stop, but the sprayer ignored him and continued fumigating. Some of my coworkers had nausea, dizziness and had tears in their eyes, just like I did.
At 10:30 we entered to work again, as if nothing had happened. Approximately at 1pm, all the workers in Jose Torres’ crew were taken to the office, as were the workers in Benito’s crew. There, we were attended by a gentleman who said he was a doctor. I told him that my head hurt, my eyes burned and I felt nauseous. He checked my eyes, my mouth and my pulse and soon after told me that everything was fine since the pesticide that was sprayed was organic and that it wasn’t dangerous.
My coworkers and I weren’t given any type of medication. At about 4pm, we were returned to work, being that we normally get out at 4:30. I feel that the company isn’t sufficiently concerning itself for our safety, the workers. I don’t have medical insurance to cover me in case in the future I get sick due to the chemicals. This is why I demand more respect and safety in the workplace. In this case, they didn’t even do a blood test to see if they caused us any harm. I hope the county takes action."
Can you help Aurelio and the Gerawan workers by signing a petition, which the workers will submit to the Fresno County Ag commissioner? Tell the Ag Commissioner that a foremen telling the workers that it isn’t right for them to be sprayed, but taking no action to move the workers to safety, is totally unacceptable. Also unacceptable is Gerawan’s action of taking some of the workers to the office to see a doctor, who did not even check their blood, even if the workers were complaining about nausea, itchy eyes and more.
This is what 10-year Gerawan employee Aurelio Landa tells us:
"On Monday, February 22, my crew and another 4 more (crews) were working on the west side in the pruning of peaches. At approximately 8:00am, some machines began to fumigate in the field west of where we were working.
At 10:00am, when we went out for breakfast, a machine came out in front of our crew and fumigated us all. The foreman Jose Torres commented that it wasn’t correct and they should have notified us that they were going to fumigate.
One of my coworkers, whom they call “El Chaparro”, made signs to the sprayer so that he would stop, but the sprayer ignored him and continued fumigating. Some of my coworkers had nausea, dizziness and had tears in their eyes, just like I did.
At 10:30 we entered to work again, as if nothing had happened. Approximately at 1pm, all the workers in Jose Torres’ crew were taken to the office, as were the workers in Benito’s crew. There, we were attended by a gentleman who said he was a doctor. I told him that my head hurt, my eyes burned and I felt nauseous. He checked my eyes, my mouth and my pulse and soon after told me that everything was fine since the pesticide that was sprayed was organic and that it wasn’t dangerous.
My coworkers and I weren’t given any type of medication. At about 4pm, we were returned to work, being that we normally get out at 4:30. I feel that the company isn’t sufficiently concerning itself for our safety, the workers. I don’t have medical insurance to cover me in case in the future I get sick due to the chemicals. This is why I demand more respect and safety in the workplace. In this case, they didn’t even do a blood test to see if they caused us any harm. I hope the county takes action."
Can you help Aurelio and the Gerawan workers by signing a petition, which the workers will submit to the Fresno County Ag commissioner? Tell the Ag Commissioner that a foremen telling the workers that it isn’t right for them to be sprayed, but taking no action to move the workers to safety, is totally unacceptable. Also unacceptable is Gerawan’s action of taking some of the workers to the office to see a doctor, who did not even check their blood, even if the workers were complaining about nausea, itchy eyes and more.