Hundreds of farmworkers, allies rally in Healdsburg for better work conditions

Maria Salinas knows firsthand the toll long hours in grueling conditions can take on farmworkers.

Her father worked in the fields for 13 years, often with few breaks and little water in ever-rising temperatures until physically he couldn’t continue. He died of cancer in 2014.

A farmworker herself, Salinas said that in the decade since her father’s death there have been few improvements in working conditions.

That’s why she joined other laborers and their allies Sunday afternoon at the Healdsburg Plaza in demanding fair wages and better benefits ahead of a march through the city.

“(Farmworkers) leave all their energy in the fields,” she said, adding that witnessing their sacrifices spurred her to mobilize. “I want to help so the next generation doesn’t suffer as much injustice.”

The event, organized by workers and North Bay Jobs with Justice, a Santa Rosa-based labor rights coalition, attracted about 500 people.

Workers called for higher wages of $25 per hour or $250 per ton of grapes picked.

They also demanded they earn hazard pay should they have to work during dangerous conditions, such as in extreme heat or in smoky conditions caused by a fire, and compensation for lost wages during fires or flooding.

It’s a familiar set of demands but Sunday’s march took place in the midst of a summer of prolonged heat waves and heightened fire activity — the Point Fire in June burned about 1,200 acres, threatening homes and vines in the Dry Creek Valley northwest of Healdsburg — and ahead of the grape harvest season that typically starts in August.

Organizers say the issue has become more pressing as climate change leads to more extreme weather events throughout the year impacting workers and the $1.2 billion wine industry.

Following opening remarks by organizers, local band Tamborazo Santo Domingo and laborers carrying a large black and red woodpecker led the group onto the streets of downtown Healdsburg.

Their voices and the sound of the drums and other percussion instruments swelled as they walked south along Healdsburg Avenue.

Farmworkers were joined by members of several labor unions, including hotel workers represented by Unite Here Local 2 and the Teamsters, as well as elected officials like Rohnert Park Council member Jackie Elward and Healdsburg Council member Ron Edwards, who on social media said he was there to learn about the farmworkers’ experiences and concerns.

Marchers attracted the curiosity of patrons dining and shopping at restaurants and storefronts along the road as their procession made its way toward the roundabout and headed southeast toward Healdsburg Memorial Bridge, where marchers temporarily shut down the roadway.

"We're here to fight and we will fight until workers get what they deserve," said Aura Aguilar, an organizer with North Bay Jobs with Justice, as the group gathered on the bridge before heading back to the plaza.

Salinas, 43, said farmworkers often face difficult choices, working in risky conditions or going without pay.

Some wineries offer their seasonal agricultural workers hazard pay and disaster insurance but most farmworkers go without such benefits.

Salinas said their workday is sometimes cut short as temperatures rise. Temperatures often creep up to or past 95 degrees in the field by 11 a.m. and they’re paid just a few hours before being sent home.

They want to be paid for a full eight hours under the disaster pay proposal.

That’s critical as the price of rent, food and other goods increases and makes it harder for workers to support their families, she said.

“We need dignified wages to be able to put bread on the table,” she said.

The group chanted in Spanish “Listen, listen, we are in the fight!” and “The people united will never be defeated!” as they ended the roughly 2-mile trek shortly before 6 p.m. back at Healdsburg Plaza.

Anabel Garcia, a farmworker who helped organize Sunday’s event, said she was honored to march alongside so many supporters in their fight for better work conditions.

“We’ll be together until we get a victory,” she said as the event came to a close.

Organizers said they plan to keep pressure on the wine industry until their demands are met.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @paulinapineda22.