Farm workers have always been essential to our food supply, our health, our economy, and to our community. Yet, they remain some of the least protected workers.
A combination of few rights and little respect — the Trump administration recently proposed actually cutting wages for agricultural workers — is only exacerbated by an outbreak of COVID-19 among farm worker communities in the Pacific Northwest. Farm workers, particularly those brought to the U.S. on H-2A visas, are at the mercy of their employers, and the state is not doing enough to protect them.
Farm workers have inadequate access to sanitation, and crowded lodging and buses to and from fields make social distancing difficult. These circumstances are accelerating the spread of COVID-19 in communities that grow and harvest food for our families.
During this crisis, it is critical that agricultural workers have the same basic protections afforded to the rest of us.
Join us in standing in solidarity with farm workers.
Weeks ago, Columbia Legal Services asked that state agencies provide enforceable protections, but instead they issued inadequate, confusing guidelines that employers too often ignored. That’s why we’re representing Famlias Unidas por la Justicia, a farm worker union, in an emergency petition to demand the state create effective, binding health and safety standards that protect Washington farm workers and their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have tried all channels to have our concerns addressed; however, no meaningful actions have been taken. We owe it to all frontline workers to take a stand and not be forgotten or sacrificed in this time where we should all be pulling together,” said Ramon Barba Torres, President of Familias Unidas por la Justicia, one of the unions.
Since the lawsuit was filed the state Department of Labor & Industries finally did issue proposed emergency rules. This is an important step, but still not sufficient, as the rules cover housing and do not go far enough to protect workers where they live and work.
Today, there is a hearing in Skagit County Superior Court on our petition, which also includes the United Farm Workers of America. Growers and industry associations have already been allowed to intervene in the lawsuit and are fighting hard against new worker protections. We’ll keep you informed of what happens.
Your investment helps us stand with farm workers and use our legal and policy expertise to create enforceable rights that protect farm workers.
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Joe Morrison
Columbia Legal Services Attorney
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