Group works to train immigrant farm workers on heat safety

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- They are some of the jobs most impacted by the heat.

Working in fields harvesting everything from tobacco to sweet potatoes and strawberries. But sometimes whether it be language barriers or immigration status, workers may not be able to get the help they need.

It's why one group is making it their mission to keep people safe and informed by meeting them in the field for training sessions.

As the sun goes down after a long day on the job, workers young and old gather around the bed of Leticia Zavala's truck.

Her lesson starts with a sobering reminder, showing a picture of Jose Arturo Gonzalez Mendoza who died in Nash County last year.

"He felt ill in the field and nobody called the police, nobody tried to help him," she said.

The sign with their mission - "Ni una vida mas," not one more life lost to heat.

"We haven't had a harvest where bodies haven't been sent back to Mexico since the pandemic in 2020," Zavala said.

Zavala and her group, El Futuro Es Nuestro shared the warning signs for heat strokes and some tips to keep cool - handing out electrolyte tablets, and showing how to use cooling packs.

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As summer heats up, workers sometimes notice the symptoms can creep up fast.

"Sometimes when it gets this hot out, you'll feel fine one minute but then you'll get start to get a little dizzy. Sometimes you have to take a break," said farm worker Max Valencia Orozco.

A break that's even more important when many feel pressure to make the most of the few months they're here.

"It's a big sacrifice and there's a lot of sacrifice to be here, a lot of competition to be here, they always want to take advantage of every minute," Zavala said.

Part of the lesson was about legal protections, teaching workers about an executive order deferring action on immigration consequences for 2 years if someone files a safety complaint on the job.

They also learned you won't lose out on pay for the day if you need to see a doctor.

"There's a lot of protections that exist that workers don't know, they don't know how to access those protections or how to defend themselves or speak up," Zavala said.

The group is continuing their training sessions around the region, from the Goldsboro area to Orange County.

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