Dear Editor,  

I am a 9th grade student at Waltham High  School participating in the Upward Bound  Program at Brandeis. As a member of the  larger Waltham and Brandeis community,  I have concerned myself with social justice  issues that I feel are in line with the uni versity’s values. In my summer course this  year, we learned about the United Farm  Workers Union. Their work attempts to  close large inequalities and give respect  and dignity to the people responsible for  our food. 

Farm workers work all day in the hot  sun without any breaks. They earn very  little money which means in most cases it  is barely enough for the family to buy food,  pay rent, and buy other needs. These fami lies are some of the most in need of finan cial assistance because it is hard for them  to pay their day-to-day expenses. They  work long days and do not work in good  conditions: they often work without breaks  and in terrible weather. Farm workers  should have more rights including being  paid more than the federal minimum wage,  which is $7.25/hour. They should be pro vided with all of these things so that they  can live a healthy life and not become very  ill or sick as the years go by. 

The Farm Workers Union was started by  Cesar Chavez, and Dolores Huerta, among  others. Dolores was as important as Cesar  Chavez but was not as well recognized. Do lores and Cesar wanted to help the farm  workers get better working conditions  and better wages. Dolores as a teacher saw  the struggles that families who worked on  farms faced, such as not having enough  money for food and shoes because of their  low pay. Dolores led many protests trying  to get farm workers a better pay and more  rights, such as health clinics and other ba sic needs for the workers. Dolores wanted  everyone to be treated fairly. In 2002, she  created the Dolores Huerta Foundation.  One quote Dolores is very known for is  “Si se puede” which in English means “it  is possible”. Her quote was used by farm  workers when protesting. Many people  would want that phrase to become “Si se  pudo” which translates to, “it was pos sible”. Manypeople are still fighting for  rights that should be given without them having to protest or strike.   

Seasonal migrant farm work began most  prominently during the Bracero program  in 1942. It allowed Mexicans to come to the  United States and get a temporary work  permit. They were promised a lot of ben efits that were almost never given, and  whoever was in the program would get  paid very little compared to Americans.  Since Mexican-Americans and African Americans had to be paid a minimum that  was more than they paid the braceros, they  started firing the Mexican-Americans and  African-Americans. This led to most of the  farm work being done by people in the Bra cero program until it ended in 1963. 

Even though the United Farm Workers  Union has improved working conditions  for farm workers in many respects, we  still have a very long way to go. In Mas sachusetts, the minimum wage for any  workplace except agriculture is $15. For  agriculture the minimum wage is a mere  $8. If someone who works at a store works  40 hours per week, they get paid $600, while  someone who works in agriculture would  make $320 in that time. That means that  someone who works on a farm gets paid a  little more than half of what a store worker  could get paid. Also, there are many cas es where farm workers are not allowed  breaks or leave, even in temperatures  above 100 degrees. 

Continued poor working conditions  mean that workers have to keep fighting  for basic rights. Farm workers should not be wor ried that if they take a break, they might  lose their job. Employers should not treat  farm workers this way. These violations  of personal dignity could negatively affect  farm workers’ health because they cannot  afford food or shelter without this work.  

I encourage the Brandeis community to  research MA agricultural regulations. As a  university dedicated to making the  world more equal for everyone, we should  pay attention to the people who help put  food on the table for all of us. 

 Sincerely, 

Daniela Reyes