We strategically intervene in policy efforts only when they impact food workers and are relevant to our members work.
Status for All
For years, our members in the agricultural sector have collectively opposed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. We continue to oppose FWMA and any legislation expanding the harmful H-2A program. Members are equally united against mandating use of E-Verify and “paths to citizenship” that require years of exploitative work.
The right to organize
As laid out in our organizing platform, the right to organize is fundamental and central to our vision. That includes the ability to exercise this right in fair and safe working conditions, without fear of harassment or retaliation by employers or the government. We support legislation like the PRO Act, that would restore the right to freely form a union and bargain collectively.
Worker Health and Safety
The U.S. is weak on worker protections. We lack essential laws to keep workers safe from hazards like extreme temperatures and climate disasters. To make matters worse, where laws do exist, we often lack the power to enforce them.
Interventions in this area include:
Supporting members campaigning for the ground-breaking New York Health & Essential Rights (HERO) Act of 2021, which created permanent standards to protect workers from exposure to airborne infectious diseases, and allowed for the creation of joint labor-management safety committees.
Coordinating nationwide actions protesting OSHA’s failure to create an Emergency Temporary Standard protecting all workers from COVID-19.
Supporting members to participate in the creation of the Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act (PAMWA).