Sonnay Alvarez of the Community Council of Idaho says an upcoming conference at the College of Idaho in Caldwell will focus on issues related to farmworkers.

The 2019 Farmworker Awareness Conference is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain time on March 27 and from 8:15 a.m. to noon March 28 at the College of Idaho’s Simplot Dining Hall in Caldwell, Idaho.

It is geared toward agricultural employers and organizations dedicated to helping farmworkers.

Sonnay Alvarez, spokeswoman for co-sponsor Community Council of Idaho, said the free event will cover topics including cultural awareness, the federal H-2A visa program, worker rights, wages, challenges among agricultural employers, and farmworker resources.

Other sponsors are the College of Idaho, Boise State University, Community Council of Idaho, the Idaho Department of Labor and Bon Appetit Management Co.

Speakers March 27 include Associate Professor Garth Taylor of the UI Department of Economics & Rural Sociology; Arnold Hernandez, director of inclusion and intercultural engagement at C of I; and Thomas Silva, district director of the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division.

A panel discussion slated March 27 will cover immigration issues and the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals law. A 5:30 p.m. screening of the Sundance festival film “Con o Sin Papeles” (“With or Without Papers”) is free to those donating a long-sleeved shirt for farmworkers.

The keynote speaker for March 28 is Maria Andrade, founder of Immigrant Justice Idaho and principal attorney at Andrade Legal in Boise.

For information, contact Alvarez at 208-546-2249. RSVP to dunnia.aplicano@labor.idaho.gov.