Farm workers calling for higher wages and improved working conditions were joined by political, civil rights, and religious supporters in a 4.5-mile march in Washington state over the weekend. The demonstrators demanded amnesty for undocumented workers, protection for labor organizers from reprisals by employers, and higher apple-picking wages. Represented at the march were organizers from the AFL-CIO and United Farm Workers of America (UFW). The AFL-CIO passed a resolution in February calling for the federal government to grant amnesty to the 6 million undocumented workers living in the United States. A spokesperson from the UFW said that undocumented workers are treated like “second-class citizens” while they are relied upon to do the work that other Americans reject. The UFW has been fighting for workers’ rights since it was founded in 1962 by Ceasar Chavez and Delores Huerta. Huerta is a founding board member of the Feminist Majority Foundation and has been a leader in the struggle for migrant farm workers for over 30 years.
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