The company that had said it would not retaliate against workers who had asked for more security against COVID-19 at work, ended up doing the opposite.
A group of former employees of the San Joaquin Valley pistachio company Primex Farms said about 40 employees were fired last week. Several of them had spoken out against the labor irregularities that led to a massive contagion inside the plant.
So far there are 99 confirmed Primex workers infected with COVID-19, 42 adult family members and 25 children, said the United Farm Workers (UFW) union, which is advising them.
Brisdey Nieto, who had been working for Primex for a year and a half, said at the virtual press conference Monday that all of the fired workers were hired by an agency — USA Staffing — but Primex supervisors were the ones who fired them.
“They said that if we want to return, we should do it until the next harvest, in September, because now there is no work,” Nieto said. “We were informed that because of the union [UFW] production fell, but some workers who support Primex were given the opportunity to apply to other agencies, but not us. ”
Several of the sacked people participated in a protest on June 24, where they called for more rigorous protocols to be followed to prevent the massive spread of the coronavirus.
At that time, the workers said that there was no social distancing, that those who felt sick could not miss work or were threatened with being fired, and that they were selling mouth covers for $ 8.
The dismissed workers question the alleged lack of employment since, they say, that same morning while one group was being fired, another group was being hired.
Claudia Arechiga, who had been working at Primex Farms for almost two years, said that she became concerned when she saw that a protocol of social distancing was not being followed nor was providing security to the workers.
“When I realized, there were already 31 infected people, I tried to obtain a misdemeanor permit with human resources,” Arechiga said. “But there they told me that there were no permits because there is a lot of work and that the other option was for me to quit if I didn’t feel safe.”
For fear of losing her job, Arechiga was forced to continue working at the plant.
Dismissed after being infected
Arechiga said Primex had previously assured them that people who had been infected with COVID-19 were not going to be fired. However, this was not the case as people were fired or not getting their jobs back.
One of them is Irma Escobedo, who in mid-June was infected and was forced to leave work temporarily. She was in quarantine when the protests happened so she supported the protests from her home.
Little did she imagine that when she tried to return to her job she was no longer given a job. She said last week, after receiving a letter from her doctor that she had already tested negative for the virus, she spoke to the agency to tell them she was ready to return.
“They kept me waiting for three days, but they didn’t tell me anything,” Escobedo said. “By Friday they called me to thank me and tell me that the work was already finished.”
Escobedo said it felt like a slap in the face as he feels the company is not taking them into account. She and her colleagues believe that they are retaliating for having spoken about the conditions of working in public.
Worry increases
Armando Elenes, treasurer secretary of the UFW, said it is worrisome to see the retaliation the company is taking against its workers, who are seen only as a number.
The UFW reported that a Primex employee, María Hortencia López, 57, died from COVID-19 on July 14. She began to feel ill at work and was subsequently admitted to a hospital where she was removed from artificial respiration.
A second Primex worker, identified as Eustodia Oropeza, 55, who also tested positive for COVID-19, was removed from life support and sent home for palliative care. It is not expected to survive, reports the UFW.
Workers are amazed to see that a quarter of the company’s staff, which employs 400 workers throughout the year, are infected and the plant remains open.
The laid-off workers said they expect their jobs to be returned to them and safer working conditions.
The UFW filed charges for unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board. They allege illegal retaliation for union and concerted activities.
Additionally, they are asking for the help of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to carry out a thorough investigation of the company.
Becerra’s office said it was unable to comment because the case is under investigation.
La Opinion asked Primex Farms for a comment but so far there has been no response.
