On September 7, 22-year-old farmworker Jose Velasquez died after being run over by a tractor at Rancho Guadalupe Farms.
Two weeks later, a truck ran over and killed 58-year-old Rosa Sanchez at Grimmway Farms in New Cuyama.
Following the deaths of Sanchez and Velasquez, the Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) and the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) released a joint statement, demanding changes and calling for safer working conditions.
“We understand that there are accidents, but if there are accidents that could be prevented, then they should be,” said Ana Huynh, MICOP Program Director.
“The lives of farmworkers are not disposable, and we want to make sure all the parties that are tied to this are taking appropriate actions,” said Zulema Aleman, CAUSE Organizing Director.
Aleman says she has been in touch with Velasquez’s loved ones following his death at Rancho Guadalupe in early September. She adds that in the weeks since, few details about the incident have been made available.
“We know that there were injuries to the body. We knew that they were working with a tractor and a truck and tying them together, but there was no one there, so it is all speculation,” she explained. “What we do know, though, is that a community member died.”
In their joint statement, both organizations called for better training measures for farmworkers, including offering instruction in indigenous languages.
Huynh says in light of these recent accidents, they are also reminding farmworkers to be advocates for themselves.
“If there is something dangerous happening in the workplace, it is okay for you to speak up and let your supervisor know, let your team know that something isn’t safe,” Huynh told KSBY.
Last month, Grimmway Farms President and CEO Jeff Huckaby released a statement regarding Rosa Sanchez’s death, saying they have launched an internal investigation into the accident and that they will be undertaking appropriate training to “make certain that this does not happen again.”
Meanwhile, Huynh and Aleman say their groups are united to bring wider attention to the issue.
“We hope that with this information, with this statement we have put out, that they take their safety measures very, very seriously,” Huynh added.
“We are incredibly happy that we can do this joint statement together because we know that together we are way stronger,” Aleman stated.
On Thursday, a representative with Rancho Guadalupe Farms told KSBY the death of Jose Velasquez has left a deep impact on the company, saying employee well-being and safety remain their top priority.
Officials with Cal-OSHA say they are investigating both accidental farmworker deaths.
