What you need to know about the national boycott in favor of farmworkers

A group of farmworkers is calling the community to support a national labor pause of three days, July 16, 17 and 18. This means don’t go to work, don’t spend money on big companies and stay at home if possible. 

The grassroots organization advocate to end ICE raids and a path to citizenship for these farmworkers. 

However, the call for a nationwide boycott has encountered mixed emotions since there are no organizations or prominent individuals backing up the movement. 

A farmworker who identified himself as Gabriel said they are not working with organizations and big names because many of them do it just to profit themselves financially. He said many showed their opposition when they learned about this movement. 

“The only thing they can do is give hand sanitizers, water and fans to the farmworkers but when it comes to show up for us they don’t do it,” said Gabriel who didn’t provide his last name. 

He told CALÓ News that his boss in the Fresno area voted for Trump and when the candidate won, the boss organized a big party.

“He thought he wasn’t going to pay more taxes, but he wasn’t expecting these raids,” said Gabriel. “On Thursday, when the raid in Camarillo happened, he closed the farm and didn’t let the farmers go back until Monday. [My boss] regrets so much voting for Trump.”

On Monday, during a press conference influencer Flor Martinez, who is known on instagram as @flowerinspanish and is promoting the boycott, said farmworkers are not criminals, but the backbone of the food system. 

“When you pick up a strawberry, a tomato or grapes you are holding it in your hand from the sweat, struggle and story of a farmworker, more than likely from an undocumented, exploited farmworker,” she said.

Susie Plascencia, an entrepreneur and U.S. citizen, spoke in support of the cannabis farmworkers, especially those targeted at a licensed cannabis farm in Camarillo. She highlighted these fields cannot survive without immigrant labor. At least 200 were detained, and many of these undocumented immigrants were left without protections. 

One worker, identified as Jaime Alanís, fell from the roof of a greenhouse in Camarillo when trying to escape from the raid on Thursday. A couple of days later he died. 

“I’m here in solidarity with farmworkers across the nation who are calling for what should never have to be demanded; dignity, protection and a path to citizenship,” she said. 

Clarifying the misunderstanding

The boycott is being promoted under the hashtag #huelgaparaladignidad in social media. However, people have asked for clarification on why pro-immigrant and pro-farm labor organizations such as United Farmer Workers (UFW), Dolores Huerta Foundation, CHIRLA and Friends of Fieldworkers are not collaborating in the boycott.

Primitiva Hernandez, executive director of 805 Undocufund, which provides short-term financial relief to immigrant families, said they are not involved, but urged the community to remain vigilant and work with organizations that stand with workers in person and not just online.

“Effective and ethical farm worker strikes, particularly national efforts, require months of deliberate coordination, legal preparation, financial support, policy advocacy, immigration defense and genuine leadership and relationship building within the labor movement,” said Hernandez in a previous interview with CALÓ News. “These are not boxes to check for show, but non-negotiables in any real effort for change. And none of these have been demonstrated as priorities by Flower in Spanish or the associated celebration nation.”

Long time organizer and labor leader Dolores Huerta said organizing requires discipline and leadership to assign specific tasks. 

“If it's not organized, you open up for a lot of negative consequences that might happen. Number one, farm workers will get fired. They will lose their jobs. They will lose the income for their families,” she said. “If it isn't well organized, there can also be some violence, and somebody could get hurt, somebody could get killed.”

Huerta highlighted that striking is a very strong economic weapon, but comes with consequences, like losing income. 

“It's a very serious situation; it should not be taken lightly,” said Huerta. 

Martinez said on social media that all accusations of grifting, or taking money from the movement for personal gain are lies. 

“[The accusations] take attention, energy and resources away from the families that we're trying to feed, the workers we're trying to support and the change we're trying to create,” she said. “These accusations don't expose corruption; they're a distraction from the real corruption we are seeing every single day.”

She clarified she’s not doing this for money and reminded people she was a farmworker and she’s a DACA recipient, meaning she has a temporary renewable legal status. 

“I'm undocumented. I have my mom on the other side of the border, an injustice because of this immigration system that we are living under. When you attack this work, you're not just attacking me, you're attacking hope,” she said.