Maria de Jesus Alvarez, 63, mother of 9, who died August 2, was picking grapes for Anthony Vineyard on July 15, a day that saw temperatures as high as 111 degrees, when she fell ill and went home. Four days later, on July 19, she was taken to the hospital, where tests revealed she’d suffered heat stroke and severe dehydration.
Maria is the sixth farmworker to fall victim to this summer’s heat, and the fifteenth since Governor Schwarzenegger took office. United Farm Workers (UFW) is running an action campaign to urge California legislators to let those who grow and harvest our food to protect themselves through secret ballot elections that would make it easier for farmworkers to organize and enforce safety laws.
Our thoughts are with Maria’s family.
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