Port of LA, Shipping Companies Donate 75K Respiratory Masks for Farm Workers
The United Farm Workers (UFW) of America received 75,000 face masks from the Port of LA, Logistics Victory Los Angeles and CMA CGM Group on Monday.
Port of LA and the other shipping companies hope the donation can help the farmworkers working outdoors amid the pandemic, wildfire smoke, and extreme heat, said a CBS Los Angeles report.
The products given are FFP2 respiratory masks, the European version of the N-95 masks, said Port of LA Executive Director Gene Seroka in an NBC Los Angeles report.
Seroka noted that farmworkers are working in challenging conditions as the U.S. faces a pandemic. He said they play an essential role in ensuring the reliability and dependability of the food supply chain.
Seroka also noted that these workers are helping feed not just Americans but the world.
He said 55,000 masks were shipped off to workers in Salinas last week, and 20,000 more were sent to be handed over by Monday. The masks will be driven from Los Angeles in a union pickup truck.
Los Angeles Mayor Recognized Threat to Farm Workers
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also recognized the threats that farmworkers face on a daily basis. He said these workers "never take a day off," even when their health and safety are at stake.
"Their determination means there's never a shortage of food on our shelves, our pantries, and on our tables," said Garcetti.
Los Angeles Daily News noted that the donation was a rather life-saving one. It was held true by many representatives of the labor sector.
Ron Herrera, president of the Los Angeles Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, was one of those people. "This will truly save lives," he said.
Herrera works in representing more than 800,000 working men and women in all sectors throughout the county.
The Port announced the donation during a news conference next to the Banning's Landing Community in Wilmington.
Farm Workers' Lives in the Fields
Teresa Romero, president of the UFW, said conditions in the fields are quite extreme and can be hard for those who work in it. This had gone worse, considering severe fires and the pandemic that California had to witness lately.
Romero also noted that farmworkers often have to work, live and commute in cramped, overcrowded, and unsanitary conditions. All of these things happen to farmworkers daily.
She said these groups have to work as they are seen as essential workers.
In a statement posted by Port of LA, Herrera also said he found it "unconscionable" that farmworkers do not have basic protections like masks during a global pandemic.
He pointed out how ironic it is that the very workers who pick people's food are the ones putting their own lives at risk.
The Port of Los Angeles is focused on bringing more agricultural exports to markets overseas. For the past few years, some of its top exports are soybeans and grains.
The Port also exports fruits and vegetables from California's Central Valley and alfalfa from Imperial Valley to various other markets.
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