Wantagh church stands up for farm workers

A Wantagh church is standing up for the rights of migrant farm workers, calling for better conditions for the people who feed America.

The Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church hosted a Cesar Chavez service on March 31, named for the mid-20th century farm worker, labor leader and civil rights activist. The service, attended by about two dozen people, was in support of the Rural and Migrant Ministry, which will take part in the March for Farm Worker Justice from Long Island to Albany, May 15 to June 1.

The Rev. Ron Garner, pastor of the church, said that he became interested in hosting the service because neighboring Suffolk County is the third-largest agricultural county in the state, and farms there use a lot of migrant workers.

“The conditions sometimes are pretty difficult,” he said. “It was something we decided as a church we wanted to make the community aware of.”

Garner added that they chose what would have been Chavez’s 89th birthday to hold the service. The program included song, prayer, a sermon and stories from two migrant workers.

“I enjoyed the service,” Garner said. “I though the stories of the farm workers were fascinating.”

The workers, who spoke through a translator, described the conditions they face at the farms they work at in Suffolk County. One worker said he gets no overtime pay and is subjected to racial slurs from his employer, but puts up with it he because he fears he would be unable to get employment elsewhere.

Another worker told a story about a colleague who was sick and didn’t want to work one day spraying chemicals. He watched as his co-worker was cursed at by his boss and ordered to do his job, and ending up quitting.

He added that migrant workers feel they are exploited and have no voice.

The service was about giving them a voice. Giving the sermon was the Rev. Richard Witt, of the Rural and Migrant Ministry. Witt spoke about the work that Chavez did to create a discussion about the plight of farm workers. He also noted the lack of rights for the people who help feed Americans. From slavery, to sharecropping to present day, Witt said that farm workers have long been denied basic rights.

“Farm workers know how they’re being treated. They don’t need to be told that,” he said, adding that the workers instead are looking for people to stand up with them and fight for better rights.

Farm workers have won the right to fresh drinking water and bathroom facilities in the fields, as well as the same minimum wage as other workers, but some exclusions remain. Among the rights they lack are overtime pay and a day off each week. The march to Albany next month, Witt said, is intended to fight for legislation seeking these rights.

Garner, who said he was inspired by Witt’s sermon, believes the walk can be successful. A large turnout, he said, should put pressure on state lawmakers by showing them that this is an issue people outside the farming community care about. Members of Wantagh Memorial Congregation Church will take part in one day of the march, he added. “Once you get faith communities aware of these situations,” Garner said, “a lot of people want to help out.”