THE DESERT SUN (Palm Springs, California) February 1, 2007 Cold freeze costs farm workers jobs Nicole C. Brambila The Desert Sun About 40 farm workers laid off by last month’s killer freeze applied for unemployment benefits at a mobile unit in Mecca Wednesday.
Usually an unemployed workers has to contact the state offices by phone, fax or the internet – a process officials say is compounded by access problems and can take days.
“It’s been very difficult for them to get through and open their unemployment (file) and find work,” said Maria Machuca, a program specialist with the County of Riverside-Department of Public and Social Services Mecca Family and Farm Workers Service Center.
“Basically it’s been meeting their need.”
The Mobile Workforce Development Center will assist farm workers today, Friday and Monday In Mecca. The mobile unit has 10 computers that can be used to file unemployment claims and job searches, a press release stated.
Other state, county and nonprofit agencies will be on hand to help those displaced by the free apply for food stamps, Medi-Cal and CalWORK’s. | |