top
Santa Cruz IMC
Santa Cruz IMC
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Tue Apr 1 2008 (Updated 04/03/08)
Labor Complaints Point to Human Rights Abuses at Lakeside Organics
Workers File Claims Against Organic Farm in Watsonville
Workers at Lakeside Organics in Watsonville have filed numerous complaints against their employer, including compensation disputes for denied breaks and unpaid overtime totaling more than $10,000, sexual and discriminatory harassment, unsafe working conditions such as employees developing rashes from fertilizers being applied to produce, making employees drink non-potable water "from the hose," overflowing porta-potties that were not cleaned at regular intervals, supervisors drinking on the job and verbally abusing and de-humanizing workers, lack of medical compensation for job related injuries, and "dumping" injured workers.

These complaints were issued in the fall of 2007. Long drawn-out legal efforts to hold Lakeside Organics accountable for their labor abuses have simply highlighted the discrepancy in legal resources between the laborers and the corporation. Traditional legal support systems for migrant laborers such as California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) have been systematically targeted by corporate interests that the government has come to represent. Originally funded via the federal Community Service Agency, CRLA was substantially de-funded during the Reagan administration. During the Clinton administration it was heavily restricted when "Republican [lawmakers] inserted provisions preventing representation of undocumented immigrants and preventing legal aid from collecting attorneys fees". Over the past few years, CRLA has been investigated numerous times for alleged noncompliance with federal funding restrictions, making it difficult for the agency to offer meaningful help in cases where some of the persons making claims may be out of status. Read More
2024-06-11 If Passed, Measure J Will Ban "Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations" Front Page | North Bay / Marin | Government & Elections | Animal Liberation2024-06-11 Activists Stand in Solidarity with Horses Who Lost Their Lives at Race Track Front Page | East Bay | Animal Liberation2024-06-11 Two Years After Shireen Abu Akleh Was Killed, There Still Is No Justice Front Page | Anti-War | Media Activism & Independent Media | San Francisco | International | Palestine2024-06-11 Crisis Team Provides Students with Non-Police Response to Mental Health Crises Front Page | Police State & Prisons | Health, Housing & Public Services | Education & Student Activism | California | Santa Cruz Indymedia2024-06-11 Only a Couple of Thousand Adult Leatherback Turtles Remain in the Pacific Ocean Front Page | Environment & Forest Defense | San Francisco | Peninsula | North Bay / Marin | North Coast | California | Animal Liberation | Santa Cruz Indymedia2024-05-25 Demonstrators Denounce Tech Giant's Contracts with Israeli Military Front Page | Anti-War | Peninsula | U.S. | International | Palestine2024-05-13 Actions Call on Biden to Declare a Climate Emergency and End Fossil Fuels Front Page | Environment & Forest Defense | Global Justice & Anti-Capitalism | Education & Student Activism | San Francisco | Peninsula | California | U.S. | Palestine2024-05-08 Resistance to Deceptive Forest Service Measure Is Growing Front Page | Environment & Forest Defense | Central Valley | California | U.S.2024-05-08 Regulators Fail to Protect Schoolchildren from Repeated Exposure to Dangerous Pesticides Environment & Forest Defense | Racial Justice | Health, Housing & Public Services | Labor & Workers | Education & Student Activism | Santa Cruz Indymedia2024-04-24 Across the Globe, Students Set Up Encampments in Solidarity with Palestinians Front Page | Police State & Prisons | Anti-War | Education & Student Activism | Central Valley | San Francisco | South Bay | East Bay | Peninsula | North Bay / Marin | North Coast | California | U.S. | International | Palestine | Santa Cruz Indymedia2024-04-09 Deal Described as One of the Most Significant Urban Land Back Victories in US History Environment & Forest Defense | Racial Justice | East Bay
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$140.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network