Campaign for workers' justice
Centro Campesino was founded with the philosophy that farmworkers, rural Latino/as and allies must work together to positively change institutional structures that create and maintain oppression.
In recent years, migrant workers have organized for and won improved salaries and housing conditions. During 2000-2001, Centro Campesino conducted an extended organizing campaign around wages, housing conditions and workplace safety for the more than 350 migrant farmworkers employed by Chiquita Processed Foods in Owatonna.
The hard-won changes in the migrant camp housing included: the installation of hot water in all individual units; the construction of a storm shelter and installation of a tornado alarm system; the complete remodeling of a Chiquita-owned housing unit to be used for Centro Campesino childcare, including the installation of a bathroom and air conditioning; and the implementation of a warning system before pesticide spraying occurs near housing camps.
The workers' justice campaign is by far the must aggressive of our campaigns since it works to defend the basic human, civil and labor rights of our members and the community. The scope of work includes:
- Increasing and promoting Centro's membership in order to have a powerful base that will be protected and united under that membership.
- Conducting workshops around southern Minnesota to teach workers their basic rights and how to proceed when those rights are violated.
- Work closely with allied unions to promote the workers' right to form a union and bargain in good faith with their employers to promote the end of injustice and mistreatment.
- Provide our membership with free interviews with workers' compensation lawyers.
- Utilize public direct action to put pressure on companies that refuse to negotiate with workers and listen to their demands.
- Defend our members and the community from any company or employer that exploits and oppresses workers.
- Develop leaders from the community that will act as justice promoters and promote workers rights in their communities.
- Urge workers into forming their own independent Unions that will give them the power to bargain and fight for their own cause.
- Work with allied representatives to promote the passage of legislation to protect migrant workers.
Job Opening
Community Organizer Opening
Justice for Workers Campaign
Centro Campesino Inc.
• Full-Time
• Salary: 25,000.00 starting
• Location: Owatonna, MN
The workers' justice campaign works to defend the basic human, civil and labor rights of our members and the community we represent. The scope of work includes but is not limited to:
• Increasing and promoting Centro's membership in order to have a powerful base that will be protected and united under that membership.
test event #1
Este es un test!
Y aqui esta tambien - con yuna descripcion.
National Farmworker Conference for Fair Trade
Centro Campesino continues to work for the rights of farmworkers and the improvement of their working conditions in Minnesota. Therefore, we are happy to announce we will be hosting the first National Farmworker Conference for Fair Trade. This is a collaboration effort between several organizations including the Farmworker Support Committee (CATA, NJ), Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA, CA), The Local Fair Trade Network (LFTN, MN) among others.
The conference will take place in Owatonna from April 28 April 30, 2007.
No more raids!
With great joy we applaud the demonstration held in Austin Minnesota on Sunday December 17th. Residents and members of Centro Campesino organized for two weeks to meet and see what the response to these raids was going to be like. Community members created a committee of highly committed people that did so much work from education, letter signing, location of victims to provide them assistance and the preparation of a public response.
2004 Montgomery Housing Organizing Campaign
In 2004 the city of Montgomery decided to buy three buildings where 99 percent of the people renting where Latinos. The city gave 19 families a deadline to leave the buildings, giving them no option of relocation or further explanations. The families did not know what to do and how to proceed after realizing that they soon had to leave their homes and probably the town where their children where born. Centro Campesino decided to engage in an intense community organizing campaign, organizing each one of the families to demand and fight for their rights against the city of Montgomery.
New Migrant Worker Protection Act
Press release - July 25, 2005
Centro Campesino announces the successful passage of a new migrant labor protection act, Chapter 127. Employers who fail to pay wages owed to migrant workers will face significant new penalties as a result of legislation signed by Governor Pawlenty on June 1, 2005. The new law doubles the fines for employers who violate written recruitment agreements with migrant workers and also provide that employers who do not pay wages when due can be made to pay twice the amount a worker would have earned until payment is made.
Useful reference numbers for Latino workers in Minnesota
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry
443 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul, MN 55155
1-800-342-5354 | 651-284-5005 | TTY: 651-297-4198
www.doli.state.mn.us
Minnesota Department of Human Rights
190 E. 5th Street, Suite 700 St. Paul, MN 55101
1-800-657-3704 | 651-296-5663 | TTY: 651-296-1283
www.humanrights.state.mn.us
