Tough times and determination are things faced by the Castro Dominguez family as they work as grape farmers in Lamont.
“We make some money but end up spending most of it,” said Domingo Castro Dominguez, a farm worker employed by the Giumarra Farm Company. “Our kids are young and we use the majority of our money on them.”
Four years ago, Castro immigrated to California from Mexico, and began to send money to his family. About three years later, his whole family was able to cross and it’s about to be one year since the family has been together.
Castro has a family of six people, four of them are children: Manuel Castro, 9; Francisco Castro, 7; Edith Castro, 3; and Dominique Castro, 8 months.
Castro’s wife, Marial Lucinda Dominguez, works along with Castro in the grape industry.
The pay is minimum wage and there is no Medicare available. Six days a week and in some holidays, it is required to work. “There have been times where I had to work on Christmas day,” mentioned Castro, “but it’s work, and we need some money.”
If a worker were to get sick, there is no income. When someone gets hurt, there is no pay. “When the landlords push us hard, it gets pretty hard which causes more accidents,” said Castro.
Every morning the parents wake up at 4 a.m. to begin their day.
At around 9 a.m. Castro drives back to his home and drops off his two younger children to a babysitter. Lunch starts at around noon. “There have been situations where we get to go to lunch at 2 p.m. because of the farm conditions,” said Castro.
Though the contract says certain hours are guaranteed, the weather and social problems could be unpredictable.
“Giumarra Company has a bunch of smaller farms around this area,” said Castro. The Giumarra Farm has smaller branches across Kern County and has companies across the United States.
“We travel together. About 20-30 people,” said Castro, “once we finish in one farm, we move to the next.”
According to Castro, the group mainly works on four farms. They take out unwanted roots and leaves from the branches of the trees, which makes the grapes grow properly. Once the acres are done, the next farm needs to be worked on. “The process repeats itself, but when we say it’s hard, it’s hard,” said Castro.
The process to actually make a single grape can be demanding. “When the process goes down, the boss can get pretty mad,” said Castro.
According to Castro, the grape industry has certain periods they work on throughout each month. For instance, in the winter time they begin to plant and clear out the field to prepare spring. During the spring, there are small adjustments needed for the grape to grow properly. In the beginning of May, the grape will begin to harvest and the picking begins. In the ending days of summer, the team is ready to move on to Delano, Earlimart, and Ducor.
“Our children are beginning to get used to going to school here,” said Castro, “I wish the best for my kids, and I don’t think we will become U.S. citizens anytime soon.”
Castro plans to live life and continue giving his children whatever he can to move on. Castro also mentioned, “I’m planning to move back to Mexico, because I have my own land and just getting some income here.”
Castro has also been to UFW meetings that help him be aware of local problems and get some help from fellow farm workers.