Another farm worker just died from heat stroke
E-mail Gov. Schwarzenegger today!
I need to share some news with you that breaks my heart. Yesterday another farm
worker's life was lost due to heat
stroke. Abdon Felix Garcia was the third farm worker heat death in the last 8
weeks and the 12th farm worker heat death since CA Governor Schwarzenegger took
office. Then I need to ask for your immediate help. E-mail Gov. Schwarzenegger
and California legislatures today and tell them this has to stop now.
Yesterday, 42 year-old farm worker Abdon Felix Garcia--father of three--died
after spending the morning and early afternoon working for Sunview Vineyards in
Arvin. According to the coroner's office, Felix was returning to Delano in a
company vehicle and he became unresponsive. He was taken by ambulance to Delano
Regional Medical Center when he later died. The coroner says Felix's body core
temperature was measured at 108 degrees just 13 minutes before his death.
The second worker who died was 64 year-old Jose Macarena Hernandez. Tomorrow I
will attend his funeral. Jose died during a record-breaking heat wave on June 20
while harvesting butternut squash in Santa Maria on land owned by Sunrise
Growers. According to news reports, temperatures reached 110 degrees that day.
And then there was the heat death of 17 year-old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez
who died while laboring in the Stockton area grape vines.
Governor Schwarzenegger came to Maria Isabel's funeral and said he would do
everything possible to prevent this from happening again. But with the death of
Abdon Felix Garcia and Jose Hernandez--the 11th and 12th farm workers who have
died since Governor Schwarzenegger took office--it is clear the state does not
have the capacity to protect farm workers. And now as yet another heat wave hits
California, we must do everything we can to insure that no more farm workers
fall victim to the heat because the laws written to protect them are not
enforced.
We are not ready to accept more farm workers dying. Click to e-mail California
Gov. Schwarzenegger (if you live in
California, a cc of your e-mail will also go to your legislators) and tell them
enough is enough. It's time to put a
law in place that will allow farm workers to protect themselves!
Thank you for caring.
Arturo S. Rodriguez
President
United
Farm Workers
Send your e-mail today!