David Hall

On meeting the farmworkers:

"I was very impressed with one woman who was proud of the fact that the work she did allowed her to send her children to college, and to her that was very important. Through having conversations with these workers it was clear that the pride and integrity they have about their work and about their own lives reinforces how important it is to have a legal services operation to protect them when their boss isn't doing the right thing."-David Hall

On the CRLA staff:

"The staff at CRLA was very impressive. They are clearly dedicated to their work, and committed to what they do. They were incredibly friendly and welcoming to us. The visit they planned was enlightening; we all learned a lot and came away with some very vivid impressions and a deeper sense of the seeming intractability of the issues that farm workers, growers, and CRLA face."-Lillian R. BeVier

Lillian R. BeVier

On the growers:

"The most important thing I learned was that not all farmers treat their workers badly, and not all workers live and work in deplorable conditions. There are many law-abiding farmers who pay their workers as promised and try to take care of them. In order to stay competitive, these farmers need CRLA to enforce the law against the farmers who do not abide by the law. This is why the work of the legal services programs is so important for the farm workers. Not only does it help protect them against the farmers who might abuse their rights, it also helps the farmers who do not abuse them to stay competitive so they can continue to treat workers well."-BeVier

On what more can be done to help migrant farmworkers:

"There is certainly more [legal services programs] can do, and if we had more money we could provide more resources. It is not an issue of the commitment on the part of legal services offices that serve migrant farmworkers. In regards to the quality of life workers are leading: whether they are getting paid when they are supposed to and getting paid the right amount, whether they are being protected from hazardous chemicals, etc., these are areas where legal services can make a difference, and I think the only reason we aren't addressing more of those types of problems is because of resources."-Hall

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