Farmworkers

Farmworkers earn $7.25 per hour.

Children as young as 12 are allowed to work in the fields early in the morning and late at night, but not during school hours. Agriculture has toxic pesticides, heavy machinery, and other hazards that threaten children's safety. Also, low-cost child labor, which is often paid "off the books," contributes to the adults' low rates of pay. If parents could earn more, they could pay for child care that would keep their children out of the fields.

[|Labor Laws for Farmworkers]

Providers of housing to farmworkers must meet local and federal housing standards (do you think that garage in "The Circuit" would qualify?) and transporters of farmworkers must use vehicles that meet basic federal safety standards and are insured.

Before 1983, labor contractors were notorious for refusing to pay workers their wages and subjecting farmworkers to debt and even slavery. Some growers claimed that they didn't employ any farmworkers and didn't have to pay minimum wage, since the contractor was the sole "employer" of the farmworkers. A new law addresses this problem and assigns responsibility for fare wages to the grower. It's the Agriculture Workers Protection Act, called AWPA.

Agricultural employers want to weaken protections in AWPA. They claim that laws protecting farmworkers are "onerous" and "unfairly singles out agriculture," and that they are competing in a global economy where many countries have even fewer protections for workers.

Fifteen died heat-related deaths in Orange County: 2009 – In Memory Of: May 9th, 2007– Eladio Hernandez May 16th, 2008 – Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez June 20th, 2008 – Jose Macarena Hernandez July 9th, 2008 – Audon Felix Garcia July 10th, 2008 – Ramiro Carrillo Rodriguez July 13th, 2005 – Salud Zamudio Rodriguez July 14th, 2005 – Ramon Hernandez July 21st, 2005 – Augustine Gudiño July 25th, 2006 – Richard Helmuth July 26th, 2006 – David Vraggs, Rodolfo Valladares July 28th, 2004 – Asuncion Valdivia July 31st, 2005 – Constantino Cruz Hernandez

July 31st, 2008 – Jorge Herrera August 2nd, 2008 – Maria de Jesus Alvarez

When it comes to working in the fields, farm workers are extremely exploited. The United Farm Workers union has documented many stories of the lives of farm workers and some of the most inhumane treatment and conditions they labor under in California. Some of their most basic of needs that by law must be provided to them by their employers (clean and sufficient drinking water on the job, clean bathrooms, shade from the heat) are not. While their jobs in many cases do not provide health insurance, they are very susceptible to serious health problems because of exposure to pesticides. Farm worker women are often abused my their employers whether verbally or sexually. And the smallest of complaints about working conditions or behaviors even as simple as taking longer than the foreman thought they should in the bathroom can cause them to lose their job. In California’s Central Valley during the harvest months of summer (May-August), farm workers must work in dangerously hot weather, with temperatures sometimes rising to over 100 degrees. They may work 10-12 hours a day. Very often farm workers are not provided with enough water, shade, or breaks during the work day and are thus very susceptible to heat stroke. Since 2004, 15 farm workers have died of heat-related illness in California. Last year alone, 6 farm workers died.