WAFLA

Farm workers and their advocates say they won't’ be silenced, after two Washington state Senators allegedly manipulated testimony during a hearing in Olympia.  According to Save Family Farming, state Senator Rebecca Saldaña, began translating the testimony of Spanish-speaking workers into English, and reportedly manipulated those words and adding her own editorializing comments during a Senate Lab

To help those looking to utilize the H-2A program this year, WAFLA will host its H-2A Summit in Wenatchee, WA, Thursday January 12th.  WAFLA CEO Enrique Gastelum said while many in the tree fruit industry are trying to attend trade shows, or enjoy so much deserved rest and relaxation this time of year, now is when you want to think about the needs for 2023.   “...

WAFLA’s new CEO says he’s looking forward to representing farm workers and an industry that has been a big part of his entire life.  Enrique Gastelum took over leadership of the organization this spring, and says one of his biggest priorities is showing those in the farming community, and those outside the industry, the important role H-2A plays.  Gastelum says the v...

Last week, WAFLA announced it is working with Stanford University to research the economic and social outcomes for farmworkers who migrate from Mexico.  In this pilot project, Stanford researchers will speak with and compare the experiences of farmworkers who remain in Mexico and those who participate in the H-2A program via WAFLA.  Scott D...

WAFLA announced Monday the hiring of a new CEO Enrique ‘Rick’ Gastelum. Since 2013, Gastelum, served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Washington Farm Bureau where he managed the business operations and finances of the organization. While there, h ...

The vaccine mandate for H-2A foreign guest workers went into effect January 22nd but will it make getting workers more difficult this year? Dan Fazio, director of the Washington Farm Labor Association, says the system they put into place last year should keep everything running smoothly ...

Recently, Dan Fazio Executive Director of the Washington Farm Labor Association, better known as WAFLA, wrote an Op-Ed piece that ran in the Seattle Times stating that roughly 95% of foreign farmworkers were vaccinated this year and that no one had died from COVID-19 ...

Thanks to a variety of efforts, the H-2A farmworker community has reported a high rate of COVID-19 vaccinations. Dan Fazio, CEO of WAFLA, the Washington Farm Labor Association, said Medical Teams International has been working on issuing vaccinations along with local health jurisdictions and farmworker clinics ...

Saying “better late than never”, the Washington Farm Bureau and the Washington Farm Labor Association are breathing a sigh of relief, after Governor Jay Inslee, the State Department of Labor and the Health Department revised emergency housing rules for farmworkers. WAFLA Exe ...

Late last week, Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced the state had relaxed some of the COVID-19 emergency rules for farm workers. One of the biggest changes means fully vaccinated farmworkers living in temporary housing no longer need to wear masks ...