Grocery and big box store employees, along with fast food, construction and food processing workers, were deemed an “essential” labor during the COVID-19 pandemic. They did not have the luxury of working from home.
Episcopal Relief & Development has partnered with the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina to provide resources and support to Latino communities in
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Farm and poultry workers gathered near the State Capitol building on Nov. 5, urging state officials to set stricter COVID-19 rules for their workplace.
Esmeralda Dominguez moved to the United States from Tamaulipas, Mexico ten years ago. Back home, she was a school teacher, but in order to support her then-growing family, she worked at a cucumber farm in eastern North Carolina.
“The shifts are long and grueling. You can barely take breaks,” Dominguez said. “During peak seasons, you have to work overtime. It’s really harsh”
Dominguez says that even when working overtime, agricultural and meatpacking workers can barely get by. She and some of her coworkers relied on organizations like the Episcopal Farmworkers Ministry to make ends meet.