Farmworker organizations’ leaders and members will meet in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, June 21, to tell Congress to pass AgJOBS, the farmworker immigration legislation.  They will hold a press conference with Senators Dianne Feinstein, Edward Kennedy, and others at 11 am.  They will then visit Senators’ offices to ask them to enact the bipartisan, labor-management compromise.  

These farmworker groups issued a joint statement about AgJOBS, which appears below.  The press advisory for the press conference, in English and Spanish, appears below the statement.  If you can today, please forward it to local media.  Thanks.

STATEMENT OF FARMWORKER ORGANIZATIONS

JUNE 12, 2007

LA PAZ, KEENE, CALIFORNIA

We the farm worker organizations representing regions with 95% of farm workers from around the United States convened in Keene, California, to reflect on the implications of the comprehensive immigration reform proposal before Congress.

We are united in our efforts to urge Congress and the President of the United States to move the process forward. Although we continue to have concerns about aspects of the comprehensive bill that need to be addressed, we believe that in order to meet the realities of our communities, we must work together to ensure that comprehensive immigration reform, which includes AgJOBS and the DREAM ACT, is enacted this year.

If our broken immigration system isn’t fixed, then farm workers will continue to be abused, the agricultural industry will be without a stable workforce, and the safety of the nation's food supply will be in jeopardy.

United Farm Workers (UFW)

Pineros Unidos del Noreste (PCUN)

Farm Labor Organization Committee, AFL-CIO (FLOC)

El Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas (CATA)

Centro Independiente de Trabajadores Agricolas (CITA)

Farmworker Association of Florida

Centro Campesino

National Farm Worker Ministry

La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE)

UFW Foundation

Florida Legal Services

Farmworker Justice

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Farmworker Justice

Media advisory for June 21

**Press Conference June 21 at 11:30AM**

Farm Workers Join Senators Kennedy and Feinstein to Show Broad Support for AgJobs Immigration Reform

Farm worker leaders and farm workers nationwide

travel to D.C. to say “real fruit requires real people”

Farm workers and Senators Kennedy (D-MA) and Feinstein (D-CA) will hold a press conference at 11:30 AM Thursday in Russell 301 to show broad support for the AgJobs section of the immigration bill. Fifty farm workers from 15 states will discuss the need for reform at the event and will visit with Senate offices that have not supported AgJobs.

WHAT:     Press conference in support of AgJobs immigration reform

WHEN:     Thursday, June 21, 11:30 AM ET

WHERE: Russell Senate office building, room #301

WHO:       Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA)

                  Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA)

                  Arturo Rodriguez, President, United Farm Workers, Keene, CA

                  Baldemar Velasquez, President, Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO, Toledo, OH

                  Laura Rodriguez, Farm Workers Support Committee (CATA), Philadelphia

For more information contact: Paco Fabian or Michael Khoo at Fenton Communications, 202-822-5200 or Alisha Rosas at United Farm Workers, (909) 969-7284