About Us

Our History:

Centro Campesino is a Latino-led grassroots organization based in Owatonna, Minnesota. Centro Campesino has become a multifaceted organization concerned about the well being and the empowerment of migrant workers and year round immigrant Latino residents of south-central Minnesota.

Centro Campesino developed in 1998 out of a grassroots movement initiated and led by Latino migrant agricultural workers in rural southern and central Minnesota. Their goal was to better the workers’ and their families’ lives. As the community came together to address their problems and seek solutions, a formal nonprofit -membership organization, Centro Campesino, was created and officially incorporated in 2000. Building on our community’s strengths, our organization is 100% constituency-controlled.

In 2001 Centro Campesino organized migrant workers working for Chiquita in Owatonna. They demanded better working and living conditions, along with the construction of a daycare unit for their kids. It is estimated that approximately 20,000 to 35,000 migrant agricultural workers come to Minnesota to work in farm fields and food processing plants each year . Approximately 64% of migrant workers coming to Minnesota are from Texas. After a long struggle against the company, Centro Campesino negotiated the construction of a daycare unit at the migrant camp, renovations of housing units, installation of hot water, and the construction of a storm shelter. This became the organization’s first major accomplishment.

Centro Campesino is growing into a leading Latino organization in Minnesota. Centro Campesino received the 2002 Nonprofit Mission Award for Advocacy from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. In 2006 the organization received the Social Justice Award from the National Lawyers Guild in Minnesota. This year, Centro Campesino was a featured organization in a national publication by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. In the newly released report "Strengthening Democracy, Increasing Opportunities: Impacts of Advocacy, Organizing and Civic Engagement in Minnesota" it is documented how 15 local nonprofits and their allies leveraged foundation grants to secure nearly $138 of benefit for every dollar spent for Minnesota's citizen.

Major Victories and Accomplishments:

* In 1998-2000 Centro Campesino organized over 120 migrant workers working for Chiquita in Owatonna. Migrant workers created committees and demanded a childcare facility for their kids. After a long struggle against the company, the workers won a childcare facility built in their camp, hot water, new beds and appliances, divisions in the bathrooms, and the construction of a storm shelter.

* In 2004, Centro Campesino began organizing approximately 750 migrant workers at Lake Side Foods in Owatonna and Seneca Foods in Montgomery, communities in southern Minnesota. Group leaders met with workers one-on-one and created a new union structure called UTN (United Workers of the North), the first union for seasonal workers in the Midwest. They collected union cards, called for union elections, demonstrated for days in front of the companies’ facilities, and garnered media attention. Though workers did not win the election, they received collateral benefits from their organizing. In Owatonna, the workers got the company to pay for all costs of childcare facilities and workers. In Montgomery, the workers got the company to build them a community kitchen in the camp. The dollar amount of these victories cannot be verified but includes at least $45,000 per year in child care costs previously paid by Centro Campesino, though benefits in the form of quality child care and quality of life are immeasurable.

* Approximately 25,000 to 35,000 migrant workers come to Minnesota each year for the agricultural season. In 2004-2005, Centro Campesino organized migrant workers to talk to legislators and testify in front of committees, worked with unions as well as allied state representatives and senators, and lobbied to secure passage of the Improving State Protections for Migrant Workers Act. At the time, approximately 4,000 migrant workers resided in the south-central area of Minnesota. The new law doubled 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. These provisions are likely recouping thousands of dollars in wages owed to migrant workers each year.

*In 2004, Centro Campesino helped 13 families in Montgomery who were being displaced and evicted by the city. The group organized local leaders from the affected families to attend city council meetings and meet with city officials, coordinated public events to protest the city action, and put on a 20-mile walk to bring media attention to the issue. With the help of allies, Centro Campesino filed suit against the city for discrimination. Montgomery reached a settlement with the families which included a public apology from the city to the community, $17,000 from the city to each family, cultural awareness training for all city officials, and anti-discriminatory signs around the city and public buildings. Additionally, the city agreed to build affordable housing and is currently working to secure state and federal funds to finance the project.

*Approximately 55,000 to 80,000 undocumented immigrants reside in Minnesota. According to Centro Campesino, each year, approximately 600 undocumented students graduate from high schools in the state. In 2007, Centro Campesino’s youth worked with allies such as Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network to win passage of the Flat Rate Tuition Bill, which gives thousands of undocumented students in Minnesota access to in-state tuition at seven two-year and technical colleges across the state. The dollar value of this victory cannot be verified, but it is likely hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in direct tuition savings, as well as the ripple effect in earning potential for students with post-secondary education. In 2009, after a multi-year advocacy effort, the Governor signed a bill giving the 22 MNSCU institutions $2.4 million to enable them to continue charging the same tuition rate to all in-state residents, regardless of citizenship status.