Support Farm Workers! They put food in our Grocery Stores and on our Tables Daily

This note was written by my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Teresa Carrillo, faculty at Cal State University San Francisco.  I re-post with her permission.

As we all sit at home thinking, if not worrying, about the "food situation," now that our lives have been upended—some more than others—she asks the simple question of whose work is more vital than our farm workers?  

Friends, let's do everything in our power to support and defend farm workers' rights to public health care, nutritious food, safe working conditions, permanent residence, good salaries, and overtime pay.

As renowned photojournalist, David Bacon, says in his article about farm workers titled, "Chronicling the Struggles of Migrant Agricultural Workers, in Words and Pictures," when their conditions improve, we all benefit as consumers.

At this very moment, as plans are developing for U.S. workers as a whole, let's please not forget our farm workers.  In the policy arena, please support Congressman Grijalva's bill (H.R.1080), the Fairness for Farm Workers Act, that seeks to end "‘racist exclusion’ of farm workers from overtime pay 81 years after nearly all other U.S. workers won it."

Reach out to whoever represents you and declare your support for H.R. 1080.  If you do not know who represents you, you can CLICK HERE to locate them.

Finally, also consider supporting the United Farm Workers.

Sí se puede!  Yes we can!

-Angela Valenzuela

Summary: H.R.1080 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)All Information (Except Text)

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There is one summary for H.R.1080. Bill summaries are authored by CRS.

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Introduced in House (02/07/2019)

Fairness for Farm Workers Act

This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 with respect to agricultural workers.

The bill requires employers, beginning in 2021, to compensate agricultural workers for hours worked in excess of their regular hours (i.e., 55 hours in 2021, 50 hours in 2022, 45 hours in 2023, and 40 hours in 2024) at not less than one and one-half times the employee's regular rate. For employers with 25 or fewer employees, the overtime pay requirements begin in 2024. These overtime pay requirements do not apply, as in current law, to employees who are the parent, spouse, child, or other member of the employer's immediate family.

The bill also repeals the exemption from overtime pay requirements for employers in various agriculture-related industries, including certain small farms, irrigation projects, sugar processing, and cotton ginning and compressing.