Over 100 people took to the streets of Santa Maria on Sunday to support farmworkers' rights and celebrate May Day.
Carrying signs saying phrases like "a decent salary" and "decent wages now," they aimed to raise awareness about the challenges farmworkers currently face on the Central Coast.
Isabel Lopez, a farmworker who's been picking strawberries in Santa Maria for over 25 years, joined the march with her daughter.
“The wages are very very low, we don’t have enough for rent…” Lopez said.
Others say low wages aren’t the only issue they face, discrimination is also a problem in the fields.
Jorge Ruiz, who used to be a farmworker said, "The discrimination and the way the companies treat them is infuriating.”
A recent study from Alianza Campesina, a collaboration among organizations CAUSE, MICOP, and local farmworkers, showed that farmworkers in Santa Barbara County earn much less than those in jobs like construction and truck driving. According to their study, in 2023, the average hourly wage for farmworkers was $17.42, while heavy truck drivers earned an average of $26.76.
“Farm labor has a really high injury and mortality rate, very similar to the injury mortality rates compared to construction and truck driving," Erica Diaz Cervantes, Senior Policy Advocate with CAUSE said.
CAUSE organized the march in hopes of bringing these issues to light and to encourage local officials to support better working conditions for farmworkers.
“I didn't know how my food got to my table. And I think that's a reality for a lot of Americans. We go to the grocery store, we grab our produce, we grab our meat, we grab things, and we don't really think twice about how did this land on my cart?" Zulema Aleman, Associate Organizing Director of CAUSE said.
Lopez’ sign captured the heart of the march reading "El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido," which translates to, "the people united will never be defeated.”
Lopez says it serves as a reminder that solidarity is the key to creating lasting change.
“If we act in unison, we will get fair wages," Lopez said.
For more information on future outreach efforts’ from the organization CAUSE, click here.
