Sacramento Bee: California Farmworkers Say They Were Fired for Leaving Jobs in Heat. Could a Bill Prevent That?

Earlier this summer, Erika Deluque began to feel weak while working in a Dixon tomato field in triple-digit heat. Her headache grew stronger, her body involuntarily shivered and she felt like vomiting.

“I felt so suffocated, so desperate,” recalled Deluque, 32.

Nearby co-workers noticed Deluque and suggested she go home. Still Deluque, a recent immigrant from Colombia, felt hesitant. She feared losing her job.

To convince her, a group of five farmworkers offered to go home with her in solidarity. The workers and Deluque said they got permission from their supervisor to go home early that June 6 as an excessive heat warning continued.

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