#wefeedyou — Public Fediverse posts

"Ian" is harvesting Mandarin oranges in Arvin CA. "I start at 5-6am. My back hurts by the end of the day from carrying the full 70 lb sacks. It's almost 100° by 12 so I work as fast as I can so I can finish before the heat gets even higher. I earn $55 per 900lb crate." #WeFeedYou

"Elsa" is harvesting carrots in Cuyama CA. "It is exhausting work especially with the high temps lately. We don't get paid well. We earn $3.05 per box, and each box contains 24 bunches of carrots. If our group make 200 boxes, the group divides the amount equally." #WeFeedYou

"Jesus" shared this pic from where he is harvesting table grapes in Fresno CA. "I begin work at 6am and finish at 2:30 pm. "I find the heat the most exhausting part of my work as the temps get very high. It's very hard working and enduring temperatures of around 101°." #WeFeedYou

"Lourdes" shares “I've worked in Salinas CA ag for 17 years. I'm currently removing the runners (vines that stick out from the main vine) on strawberry plants. This requires a lot of walking, bending and carrying bags full of these vines to the edge of the field." #WeFeedYou

"Gabriel" is working in the vegetables on CAs Central Coast. "I get up at 4:30 am to get to work on time. I spend long hours working bent over in the sun. It's very hard work especially during this hot season, but my hard work supports my wife and children." #WeFeedYou

There is a heat advisory across much of California this week. Please be careful.

Hay una alerta de calor en gran parte de California esta semana. Tenga cuidado.

#CALOR #WeFeedYou

"Santiago" shares, "We are preparing the water pipes to irrigate the cauliflower in Salinas CA. Today has been a very hard day because, apart from carrying the 35lb pipes and putting them in place, the day has been hotter than normal." #WeFeedYou

Ricardo" is picking blackberries in Salinas, CA. The quality isn't good and workers are only able to harvest 4 boxes/hr vs the 5-6 they pick when the crop is good. As they work piece rate this is real money for them as they only make 32 boxes in an 8-hour day vs 40-48. #WeFeedYou

"Pedro" has worked in agriculture for 18 years. "Right now I'm picking blackberries in Watsonville, CA. I'm working fast because I and paid piece rate. Current temperatures are hot for this area plus the tunnels we work in are made of plastic. It gets very hot" #WeFeedYou

Loaders or "swampers" rapidly pass, transfer and stack heavy grape boxes onto a trailer. It was 100° in Delano CA when this photo was taken. This work would be difficult at any time but in the current heatwave it's even harder. #WeFeedYou

"Joel" shared this photo of Gallo of Sonoma farm workers. These workers negotiated 9 paid holidays, a generous medical/dental/vison benefits and jury duty pay as part of their UFW contract. Let’s raise a glass of union label wine to these farm workers. Si Se Puede! #WeFeedYou

"Susana" shows off some of the beautiful red rspberriesvshe is harvesting in Salinas, CA. "Today, Saturday, we're focusing on harvesting the highest quality red raspberries. We began work at 6am and will leave at 3:30pm." #WeFeedYou

"Josefina" is harvesting sweet potato workers in Merced CA. "In order to do the work before the worst of the heat we begin at 4am and end at 12:30pm. I have to wake up even earlier to leave my 3 year old daughter with a babysitter to get to the site on time." #WeFeedYou

The harvest season is beginning at Scheid Vineyards. The company gathered all the UFW workers who operate harvesting equipment and machinery to train them on the systems implesented. This means operators fully understand their equipment & can perform their work safely. #WeFeedYou

"Isidro" sent this photo of strawberries he picked in Watsonville, CA. "I am proud of the work I do to put this fruit on the tables across America. Every strawberry I pick demonstrates my hard work and dedication." #WeFeedYou

We're harvesting the broccoli fields for the 2nd time and only get 4 hours of work. I still have to get up early, pack lunches for everyone, drop my kids at the babysitter and drive to the ranch. What I earn in those 4 hours, isn't enough to cover my living expenses. #WeFeedYou

With 100° temps a new norm, Republicans are trying to stop all federal heat safety protection regs, now or in the future. HR 6213 prohibits OSHA from creating or enforcing ANY national heat safety standard. We MUST stop it!

https://act.seiu.org/a/fedheatregs?ms=m 2/

#WeFeedYou

"Jose" is irrigating almond trees in the Madera CA area. He starts at 6am and finishes at 3:30 pm, earning $17/hr. "Temps are very high lately - reaching 105 °. The heat feels more intense due to the humidity caused by irrigation & a lack of breezes between the trees" #WeFeedYou

It was 10:45 AM in Bakersfield CA, and temps had already reached 102°. Grape pickers and packers are hard at work under the hot sun. The pickers steadily fill trays with freshly harvested grapes & packers carefully inspect, organize and stack each box for shipment. #WeFeedYou

"Fernando" & "Manuel" are irrigators in CAs Salinas Valley. Currently they are working in the lettuce spending their days preparing the land, installing and maintaining drip irrigation systems. #WeFeedYou

It was 98° at 12 noon in Delano CA, as two "swampers" work together to load packed grape boxes onto a truck under the blistering sun. Each box weighs 22 lbs. They carry two boxes at a time for a combined weight of 44 lbs. In one day, they can easily load 2,000 boxes. #WeFeedYou

Today several hundred thousand Indigenous #farmworkers from southern Mexico labor in fields, not just in California, but all over the U.S.
https://portside.org/2026-08-17/what-does-it-take-work-cauliflower-crew

(Interview)
https://progressive.org/topics/david-bacon/

https://mailchi.mp/igc/new-book-extraordinary-portraits-of-farmworkers-their-families-and-communities-5496444?e=33ed9a70b8

https://bittmanproject.substack.com/p/what-does-it-take-to-work-on-a-cauliflower?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=8mf9r&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

#Cauliflower #DavidBacon #LabourMovement #Photography #UFW #WeFeedYou

"John" is a H2A worker who harvests apples in NYs Hudson Valley. "We took a big pay cut this year because of the new H2A wage rules. It isn't fair. The work is the same, just as difficult, but we get paid less. We only get 7-8 weeks of work, so every cent counts." #WeFeedYou

"Miguel" and his coworkers are picking strawberries in Salinas, CA. With the current heatwave temps have been above normal. "This heat makes it very hard on us as we are working piece rate and we're constantly running. The higher temperatures makes us more tired." #WeFeedYou

"Saul" says, "Look at this white coating. It's diluted and sprayed on the trees and leaves a whitish coating on the apples that helps get rid of insects and pests. It also really bothers our eyes and throats. But they always take care of the product over us." #WeFeedYou

It was 89° at 9:45am in Mettler CA as swampers did the hard work of load the freshly packed grapes onto the trucks. This is exhausting work as each box weighs 22 lb. The grapes then head to Cold storage and they're shipped out to supermarkets. #WeFeedYou

"Juan" works in WAs apple thinning. "We use our nails to take the apples off, leaving one apple at a certain distance from the other. This allows them to grow big. Because of the heat many days we only get to work 6 hrs. At min wage it isn't enough to support a family." #WeFeedYou

"José" is harvesting mandarin in Bakersfield CA. "We're paid $55/900lb bin. We start at 5am and usually get out by 12 noon. "Temps then are a very hot 98°. I'm ready to leave as working fast in that heat is too hard on my body. I filll 2-4 bins during these 6 1/2 hrs." #WeFeedYou

It’s 8am and already 97° in Bakersfield CA at the grape vineyard where these workers are laboring. "Dante" shares, "Harvesting and packing grapes is difficult in the current heat. Plus, we start earlier than usual, which is hard as many of us commute from a distance." #WeFeedYou

"Andres" is picking onions in Fresno CA. "We start at 4pm to midnight. We're paid $1.50 a sack. The evenings are very humid and temperatures still don’t feel cool. And by 10pm it's dark out and it is hard to see which makes the job more challenging." #WeFeedYou