Interfaithimmigration

1. Interfaithimmigration.org Welcome to this month’s Webinar on Farm Worker Justice Call and Webinar will begin at 4:00 p.m. EST For audio, please dial 1-218-936-4700 and enter access code 657758 The audio and visual portions are NOT linked. You must dial this number to hear the audio portion of the webinar.

2. Farmworkers and Immigration Reform Farmworker Justice Adrienne DerVartanian Director of Immigration and Labor Rights adervartanian@farmworkerjustice.org www.farmworkerjustice.org

3. Farmworker Justice is a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower migrant and seasonal farmworkers to improve their living and working conditions, immigration status, health, occupational safety, and access to justice. Based in Washington, D.C, Farmworker Justice was founded in 1981. 

4. Who Are Farmworkers? • Majority foreign born • Over half are undocumented • Median annual income is $10,000 - $12,499 • At least 30 % earn incomes below the U.S. poverty line • Young, mostly male but also families • 11% are children and teenagers • Spanish speaking • Minimal formal education and low literacy even in Spanish • Excluded from overtime, NLRA protections and other workplace protections Source: U.S. Department of Labor, National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) 2001-2002 Photo by David Bacon

5. Immigration Reform and Farmworkers Ongoing efforts for immigration reform for decades AgJOBS Compromise Renewed push for guestworker-only “solution” Desperate need for immigration reform with path to citizenship

6. Harsh New Guestworker Proposals Multiple proposals in Congress to create new/revised guestworker programs: No path to permanent immigration status or citizenship Sharp wage cuts and poorer working conditions Reduced government oversight and access to justice

7. What would be the impact of these guestworker proposals? Proposals would be devastating: • Employers could easily hire new foreign workers at substandard wages and avoid hiring U.S. farmworkers • Expansion to new year-round industries: dairy, meat processing • Do not address majority of current workforce: the undocumented workers and their families • Undocumented workers would be pushed further underground and become even more exploitable

8. H-2A Agricultural Guestworker Program Uncapped guestworker program. • Employers must prove that there are no U.S. workers available for the job. • Employers must show bringing in foreign workers won’t harm wages and working conditions of U.S. workers. Photo by Earl Dotter

9. H-2A Guestworker Program Use of program has almost doubled over last ten years Complaints: red tape and burdensome, BUT protections needed and majority of applications are approved. FY 2011: 95% applications approved.

10. H-2A Guestworker Program • Workers indebted • Non-immigrant status • Isolation and family separation • Incentives to discriminate against US workers • Inadequate enforcement

11. “The farmers can take advantage of the [H-2A workers] where they can’t take advantage of the Americans…because we know the laws when [they] don’t…I think it was more or less, they didn’t want the Americans out there.” -Mary Jo, U.S. Farmworker

12. Our Future: Guestworkers? What are America’s values? • Are we comfortable with an entire industry’s workerforce being guestworkers? • Or are we a democracy that values all workers and gives needed workers basic human dignity and rights, and an opportunity to achieve the American dream, including economic freedom and political representation?

13. How Can You Help? • Oppose one-sided guestworker proposals. • Support immigration reform with a path to immigration status and citizenship. • Support equal protections for farmworkers. Photo by David Bacon

14. Cleo Rodriguez, Jr., Executive Director- NMSHSA Head Start 101

15. The Birth of Project Head Start – 1965 • Heightened Awareness of Poverty in the United States • John F. Kennedy’s campaign for president • President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s educational/social background • Sargent Shriver and the Kennedy’s family interest in children with special needs • Interdisciplinary Planning Committee Convened

16. The Birth of Project Head Start – 1965 • Pediatricians, Psychologists, and Early Childhood Specialists stressed the strong role played by parents in guiding and motivating their children. • James Coleman’s research held that parental involvement is a supplement to a child’s learning in the classroom. • It was a summer “catch-up” program • Evidence showed needed more than summer and became year-round

17. Philosophy of Head Start: • Bring greater degree of social competence in children • Each child is unique and individual • Child benefits from comprehensive services • Child’s entire family is critical for success

18. Philosophy of Head Start: • Foster social competence • Improved health/physical abilities • Encourage self-confidence • Enhance communication skills • Establish patterns for success • Enhance sense of self-worth

19. Core Values of Head Start: • Supportive learning environment • Inclusive of all cultures/languages • Empowerment of families • Comprehensive • Respect individual developments • Relationships/partnerships with community • Shared governance (Parent Policy Council)

20. Structure of Head Start • Federal to local grantees • Local grantees have flexibility to meet the needs of the community • Local Board of Directors • Parent Policy Council • Parent Committees

21. Head Start Act: • What is the Head Start Act? • This is the law that governs how each program is governed and operated. Every 5 years Head Start is reauthorized. It is during this period changes can occur. • On December 12, 2007, President Bush signed Public Law 110-134 "Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007" reauthorizing the Head Start program. • Should be reauthorized in 2012. May be delayed due to elections and other factors.

22. Performance Standards: • Regulations that are issued and monitored by the US government for the operations of ALL Head Start Programs • Developed and revised by the Department of HHS • Every program is legally bound to meet all the standards. If not, the program is out of compliance

23. What is the Policy Council/Board?: • Made of program parents and community representatives • Elected for terms • Approve all operations of the program • Oversight of program operations • Has legal and fiscal authority • Must include parents and work with Policy Council

24. Current Numbers: • Regional Head Start: 845,000 (93%) • Migrant/Seasonal Head Start: 34,000 (4%) • Indian/Native American: 23,000 (3%) • Total Children served 2010: 904,000

25. Simple Migrant Program Facts: • 23,738 – Number of families • 2,635- Number of classrooms • 78%- Number of Teachers/Teacher Assistants with a CDA or higher • 75%- Infants and Toddlers • 25% - Preschoolers Funding History • 1965- $96,400,000 • Served 561,000 children • 2009-$7,112,786,000.00 ($7.1 billion)- Serving 904,000 children

26. Cost per child in Migrant/Seasonal Head Start Programs: $8,500.00 per child

27. Unique Characteristics of each: • Migrant/Seasonal: • Work requirement • Birth – 5 years old • Extended hours • Meets the needs of family based on agricultural work/season • Provides coordinated efforts between programs and other migrant serving agencies for seamless services.

28. Chris Liu-BeersNC Council of Churchesncfarmworkers.org Photo: Peter Eversoll www.peversoll.com

29. Distributing information Photo: Peter Eversoll www.peversoll.com

30. Collaborating with Seminaries Photo: Peter Eversoll www.peversoll.com

31. SupportingUnions Photo: Peter Eversoll www.peversoll.com

32. Participating with FANncfan.org Photo: Peter Eversoll www.peversoll.com

33. Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida • Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida (IA) • Anetwork of people of faith and religious institutions that works in partnership with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to improve sub-poverty wages and end modern-day slavery and human rights abuses in the fields. • IA brings the spiritual resources of diverse faith traditions and the moral weight of faith-based voices in society to our work in collaboration with farmworkers for justice in the fields.

34. Coalition of Immokalee Workers The CIW is a community-based organization of mainly Latino, Mayan Indian and Haitian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida. From this basis we fight for, among other things: a fair wage for the work we do, more respect on the part of our bosses and the industries where we work, better and cheaper housing, stronger laws and stronger enforcement against those who would violate workers' rights, the right to organize on our jobs without fear of retaliation, and an end to forced labor in the fields.

35. Faith Solidarity with Workers

36. Interfaith Action at Work • IA facilitates education for faith communities, including dialogue between farmworkers and non-farmworker people of faith, and animates people of faith to take action for justice in the agricultural industry. •  IA coordinates faith-based participation in the CIW’s Campaign for Fair Food, leveraging the moral, consumer, shareholder, and social power of faith communities to effectively call on major tomato purchasers to ensure fair wages and human rights for farmworkers.   • People of faith played a crucial role in bringing about the historic agreements between the CIW and Yum Brands, McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, and Whole Foods to directly improve the wages and conditions for the farmworkers who pick tomatoes for these companies. • IA also provides a wide range of logistical and technical assistance to the farmworkers of the CIW, both in Immokalee and in planning national tours and actions. IA is an affiliate ofInterfaith Worker Justice anda founding member of the Alliance for Fair Food" For more information click http://www.interfaithact.org/?q=aboutus

37. Campaigns - Publix, Kroger, Stop and Shop • Publix is Florida's major supermarket chain and a large buyer of Florida tomatoes. Unfortunately, while Publix has a reputation for community involvement, it has yet to join the Fair Food program to help ensure fair wages and conditions for those who harvest its tomatoes. • As the nation's second-largest grocery chain, Kroger is a major purchaser of tomatoes. Yet despite letters from the CIW, over 80 religious, human rights, student, and community organizations that are part of the Alliance for Fair Food, and thousands of consumers across the country, Kroger has yet to improve the sub-poverty wages and human rights abuses faced by those who pick their tomatoes. You can join in calling on Kroger to ensure justice in its tomato supply chain: • Over the past several years the CIW and over 80 religious, human rights, student, and community endorsers of the Alliance for Fair Food have written letters to Ahold - owner of Stop & Shop, Giant, Giant Food Stores, Martin's, Ukrop's and Peapod - to invite it to improve the sub-poverty wages and conditions faced by the farmworkers who harvest their tomatoes. Join in calling on Ahold to ensure justice in its tomato supply chain:

38. Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida

39. IIC Contacts by organization • African American Ministers in Action: Leslie Malachi, lmalachi@pfaw.org • American Jewish Committee: Chelsea Hanson, hansonc@ajc.org • Bread for the World Institute: Andrew Wainer, awainer@bread.org • Church World Service: Jen Smyers, jsmyers@churchworldservice.org • Disciples of Christ: Ken Brooker Langston, revkenbl@yahoo.com • The Episcopal Church: Katie Conway, kconway@episcopalchurch.org • Franciscan Action Network: Marie Lucey, lucey@franciscanaction.org • Friends Committee on National Legislation: Ruth Flower, flower@fcnl.org • Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society: Liza Lieberman, liza.lieberman@hias.org • Interfaith Worker Justice: Thomas Shellabarger, tshellabarger@iwj.org • Irish Apostolate USA: Geri Garvey, administrator@usairish.org • Islamic Information Center: Hajar Hosseini, hosseini@islamicinformationcenter.org • Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, Shaina Aber, saber@jesuit.org • Jewish Council for Public Affairs: Elyssa Koidin, ekoidin@thejcpa.org • Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service: Nora Skelly, nskelly@lirs.org • Mennonite Central Committee: Tammy Alexander, talexander@mcc.org • Muslim Public Affairs Council: Hoda Elshishtawy, hoda@mpac.org • Sisters of the Good Shepherd: Larry Couch, lclobbyist@gsadvocacy.org • NETWORK: Sr. Mary Ellen Lacy, D.C., melacy@networklobby.org • Pax Christi: Scott Wright, scott@tassc.org • PICO: Michele Rudy, michelerudy@yahoo.com • Presbyterian Church, USA: Melissa Gee, melissa.gee@pcusa.org • Sisters of Mercy of the Americas: Regina McKillip, rmckillip@sistersofmercy.org • Sojourners: Ivone Guillen, iguillen@sojo.net • Union for Reform Judaism: Amelia Viney, aviney@rac.org • Unitarian Universalist Association: Craig Roshaven, croshaven@uua.org • United Church of Christ: Rev. Mari Castellanos, castellm@ucc.org • United Methodist Church: Bill Mefford, bmefford@umc-gbcs.org • UNITED SIHKS: Harpreet Singh, harpreet.singh@unitedsikhs.org • U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Kevin Appleby, kappleby@usccb.org • World Relief: Jenny Yang, jgyang@worldrelief.org