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Farmworkers tend to strawberries growing in a field on February 10, 2021 in Ventura County, California. (Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
It's Farmworker Awareness Week. Here's What Those Who Feed Us Deserve.
The workers who put food on our tables face poverty, deportation, and extreme heat. These are policy choices—and they can be changed.
Mar 30, 2022
Few workers play a more intimate role in our lives than the farmworkers who plant, pick, package, and ship the food we put on our tables. But unfortunately, few are more vulnerable.
As the climate crisis accelerates, their already hard jobs are getting deadlier.
Ever since the mid-20th century, when migrant braceros from Mexico kept food on U.S. tables while Americans were off fighting in World War II, farmworkers in this country have faced systemic injustices and abuse.
They're no less vital now--in 2020, they were declared essential to ensure families continued to be fed during a pandemic that forced others to stay home. But many continue to face systemic exploitation on account of their poverty or immigration status.
There are between 2.5 and 3 million agricultural workers in the United States. Migrant farmworkers account for an estimated 75 percent of these, and 50 percent of migrant farmworkers are undocumented. Many live in this country at risk of deportation, in substandard housing conditions, and in extreme poverty.
And unfortunately, as the climate crisis accelerates, their already hard jobs are getting deadlier.
Because most farmworkers lack basic working protections and are paid "per piece"--that is, for how much they harvest--they're often forced to choose between going without pay and working long hours through dangerous conditions. In recent years, they've had to work through heat waves, extreme drought, and even wildfires.
In 2021, the United States experienced the hottest summer on record, and some farmworkers died because of these unpredictable circumstances. Heat is now their leading cause of death on the job--in fact, farmworkers are 20 times more likely than other workers to die from heat-related illnesses.
Even one death on the job is too many. We need real labor standards to mitigate these gruesome conditions.
Farmworker deaths can be prevented by implementing federal heat safety standards and actually enforcing them--a call many advocacy groups have made. Employers should be required to prevent heat-related illnesses by providing clean drinking water, shade, and rest periods. And they should be held accountable for deaths caused by dangerous working conditions.
But protecting farmworkers on the job also means addressing the issues that make them so vulnerable in the first place.
Protecting farmworkers on the job also means addressing the issues that make them so vulnerable in the first place.
The piece-rate wage forces workers to put in 10- or 12-hour workdays and still leaves many food-insecure and impoverished. And due to their immigration status, farmworkers are often unable to protest dangerous working conditions or poor wages, incentivizing employers to exploit them further.
The complete marginalization of farmworkers is due to decisions made by our policymakers, as well as an exploitative food system that profits from their misfortunes. But these decisions can be changed.
Providing a legal and just pathway to citizenship would ensure that immigrant farmworkers have the opportunity to improve their living and working conditions. Labor laws that ensure workers are fairly paid regardless of their immigration status could greatly mitigate the risks many are forced to take.
And real action to address our climate crisis and protect our environment would have the added benefit of protecting our most essential workers.
The farmworkers who feed us are on the frontlines of climate change, poverty, and our broken immigration system. They shouldn't be treated as sacrificial or replaceable--especially when they're nothing short of essential. We must support their causes and demand justice.
This Farmworker Awareness Week, it's critical that we continue to recognize the vital role farmworkers play to sustain our country's entire food system, their proud history of union mobilizing and organizing, and the need to respect their humanity.
From Cesar Chavez's day to our own, "the struggle continues"--la lucha sigue!
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Few workers play a more intimate role in our lives than the farmworkers who plant, pick, package, and ship the food we put on our tables. But unfortunately, few are more vulnerable.
As the climate crisis accelerates, their already hard jobs are getting deadlier.
Ever since the mid-20th century, when migrant braceros from Mexico kept food on U.S. tables while Americans were off fighting in World War II, farmworkers in this country have faced systemic injustices and abuse.
They're no less vital now--in 2020, they were declared essential to ensure families continued to be fed during a pandemic that forced others to stay home. But many continue to face systemic exploitation on account of their poverty or immigration status.
There are between 2.5 and 3 million agricultural workers in the United States. Migrant farmworkers account for an estimated 75 percent of these, and 50 percent of migrant farmworkers are undocumented. Many live in this country at risk of deportation, in substandard housing conditions, and in extreme poverty.
And unfortunately, as the climate crisis accelerates, their already hard jobs are getting deadlier.
Because most farmworkers lack basic working protections and are paid "per piece"--that is, for how much they harvest--they're often forced to choose between going without pay and working long hours through dangerous conditions. In recent years, they've had to work through heat waves, extreme drought, and even wildfires.
In 2021, the United States experienced the hottest summer on record, and some farmworkers died because of these unpredictable circumstances. Heat is now their leading cause of death on the job--in fact, farmworkers are 20 times more likely than other workers to die from heat-related illnesses.
Even one death on the job is too many. We need real labor standards to mitigate these gruesome conditions.
Farmworker deaths can be prevented by implementing federal heat safety standards and actually enforcing them--a call many advocacy groups have made. Employers should be required to prevent heat-related illnesses by providing clean drinking water, shade, and rest periods. And they should be held accountable for deaths caused by dangerous working conditions.
But protecting farmworkers on the job also means addressing the issues that make them so vulnerable in the first place.
Protecting farmworkers on the job also means addressing the issues that make them so vulnerable in the first place.
The piece-rate wage forces workers to put in 10- or 12-hour workdays and still leaves many food-insecure and impoverished. And due to their immigration status, farmworkers are often unable to protest dangerous working conditions or poor wages, incentivizing employers to exploit them further.
The complete marginalization of farmworkers is due to decisions made by our policymakers, as well as an exploitative food system that profits from their misfortunes. But these decisions can be changed.
Providing a legal and just pathway to citizenship would ensure that immigrant farmworkers have the opportunity to improve their living and working conditions. Labor laws that ensure workers are fairly paid regardless of their immigration status could greatly mitigate the risks many are forced to take.
And real action to address our climate crisis and protect our environment would have the added benefit of protecting our most essential workers.
The farmworkers who feed us are on the frontlines of climate change, poverty, and our broken immigration system. They shouldn't be treated as sacrificial or replaceable--especially when they're nothing short of essential. We must support their causes and demand justice.
This Farmworker Awareness Week, it's critical that we continue to recognize the vital role farmworkers play to sustain our country's entire food system, their proud history of union mobilizing and organizing, and the need to respect their humanity.
From Cesar Chavez's day to our own, "the struggle continues"--la lucha sigue!
Few workers play a more intimate role in our lives than the farmworkers who plant, pick, package, and ship the food we put on our tables. But unfortunately, few are more vulnerable.
As the climate crisis accelerates, their already hard jobs are getting deadlier.
Ever since the mid-20th century, when migrant braceros from Mexico kept food on U.S. tables while Americans were off fighting in World War II, farmworkers in this country have faced systemic injustices and abuse.
They're no less vital now--in 2020, they were declared essential to ensure families continued to be fed during a pandemic that forced others to stay home. But many continue to face systemic exploitation on account of their poverty or immigration status.
There are between 2.5 and 3 million agricultural workers in the United States. Migrant farmworkers account for an estimated 75 percent of these, and 50 percent of migrant farmworkers are undocumented. Many live in this country at risk of deportation, in substandard housing conditions, and in extreme poverty.
And unfortunately, as the climate crisis accelerates, their already hard jobs are getting deadlier.
Because most farmworkers lack basic working protections and are paid "per piece"--that is, for how much they harvest--they're often forced to choose between going without pay and working long hours through dangerous conditions. In recent years, they've had to work through heat waves, extreme drought, and even wildfires.
In 2021, the United States experienced the hottest summer on record, and some farmworkers died because of these unpredictable circumstances. Heat is now their leading cause of death on the job--in fact, farmworkers are 20 times more likely than other workers to die from heat-related illnesses.
Even one death on the job is too many. We need real labor standards to mitigate these gruesome conditions.
Farmworker deaths can be prevented by implementing federal heat safety standards and actually enforcing them--a call many advocacy groups have made. Employers should be required to prevent heat-related illnesses by providing clean drinking water, shade, and rest periods. And they should be held accountable for deaths caused by dangerous working conditions.
But protecting farmworkers on the job also means addressing the issues that make them so vulnerable in the first place.
Protecting farmworkers on the job also means addressing the issues that make them so vulnerable in the first place.
The piece-rate wage forces workers to put in 10- or 12-hour workdays and still leaves many food-insecure and impoverished. And due to their immigration status, farmworkers are often unable to protest dangerous working conditions or poor wages, incentivizing employers to exploit them further.
The complete marginalization of farmworkers is due to decisions made by our policymakers, as well as an exploitative food system that profits from their misfortunes. But these decisions can be changed.
Providing a legal and just pathway to citizenship would ensure that immigrant farmworkers have the opportunity to improve their living and working conditions. Labor laws that ensure workers are fairly paid regardless of their immigration status could greatly mitigate the risks many are forced to take.
And real action to address our climate crisis and protect our environment would have the added benefit of protecting our most essential workers.
The farmworkers who feed us are on the frontlines of climate change, poverty, and our broken immigration system. They shouldn't be treated as sacrificial or replaceable--especially when they're nothing short of essential. We must support their causes and demand justice.
This Farmworker Awareness Week, it's critical that we continue to recognize the vital role farmworkers play to sustain our country's entire food system, their proud history of union mobilizing and organizing, and the need to respect their humanity.
From Cesar Chavez's day to our own, "the struggle continues"--la lucha sigue!
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.