Hundreds of Central Coast Farmworkers plan a day of action in Santa Maria
SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- Hundreds of Central Coast farmworkers are coming together to march for a living wage campaign this Sunday from the Santa Maria Town Center to the Fairpark.
The "Campesinos Unidos Por $26" campaign was brought together by "Alianza Campesina" a collaborative effort from The Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) and Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP). They say after diligent research farmworkers deserve $26 dollars an hour as a minimum wage. Organizers from CAUSE say Santa Barbara County makes 1.9 billion dollars from the strawberry industry.
Earlier this month, Alianza Campesina published a new research report, Harvesting Dignity: The Case for a Living Wage for Farmworkers. The research informed the new campaign as it exposed that current wages paid to farmworkers aren’t enough to keep up with the increasing cost of living and that the agriculture industry can afford to pay higher wages.
The community is welcome to march in solidarity with farmworkers today beginning at 11 am at 300 Town Center E., Santa Maria. People will gather at the corner of Broadway and Main St.
