SF Immigrant Community Reacts With Outrage to Governor’s Vetoes

Groups Unite Around Vetoes of Trust Act, Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights and Farm Workers’ Heat Protection Bills

WHAT: Immigrant groups respond in outrage to Governor’s vetoes of Trust Act, Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, Farm Workers Heat Protection Legislation

WHERE: State Building 455 Golden Gate Avenue

WHEN: Thursday October 4, 2012 at 11:00AM

WHO:  Domestic workers, immigrant community activists, DREAM students

SAN FRANCISCO – Community leaders will gather in front of the State Building at 455 Golden Gate Ave. alongside several labor and community organizations to unite against the governor’s vetoes of key legislation to extend protections to the immigrant community: the Trust Act, the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights and the farm workers’ heat protection bills. The protest comes as anger about the vetoes continues to simmer across the state, capturing national attention. 

The TRUST Act (AB 1081 – Ammiano) would have limited unfair, costly detentions of immigrants in local jails for extra time, for deportation purposes- people who would otherwise be released. By vetoing TRUST, the Governor failed to heal the impact of an out-of-control detention and deportation program that has undermined public safety and deported 80,000 Californians to date – 7 in 10 of whom had no convictions or had only minor offenses.

The Governor also vetoed the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights (AB 889 – Ammiano), which would have ended the outdated exclusion of domestic workers from basic labor protections by extending rights such as overtime pay and meal and rest breaks to the childcare providers, housecleaners, and caregivers who care for California’s families and homes.

Governor Brown also rejected two farm workers’ heat protections bills:  The Humane Treatment for Farm Workers Act (AB 2627 – Calderon) that would make it a misdemeanor crime, punishable by jail time and fines, to not provide appropriate water or shade to workers laboring under high heat conditions.

The governor also vetoed The Farm Worker Safety Act (AB 2346 – Butler) that would have allowed workers to enforce the state’s heat regulations by suing employers who repeatedly violate the law.

                                                                                           ###