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FARMWORKERS in the United States

Learn about the challenges faced by farmworkers in the United States and how you can make a difference. Explore internship and fellowship opportunities, support farmworker-led campaigns, and engage in advocacy efforts. Join us in promoting justice and equality for farmworkers.

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FARMWORKERS in the United States

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  1. FARMWORKERS in the United States Student Action with Farmworkers

  2. What is Agriculture?

  3. SAF’s definition of Agricultural workers includes: • Field & Greenhouse work • Packing • Animal meat production • Dairy, Mushroom, grains etc. • Food Processing

  4. Who are farmworkers?

  5. Historical Timeline Farmworkers since the 1600s have been indentured servants, enslaved peoples, sharecroppers, and immigrants. 1600s-1800s Indentured servants & enslaved Africans 1860s-1870s Low wage sharecroppers 1860s-1930s Chinese, Japanese and Filipino immigrants 1930s Poor whites and blacks during the Dust Bowl years 1941-1964 Bracero Visa workers from Mexico 1970s-1990s New Immigrants: Haitian, Mexican and Central American workers. H2A and undocumented workers

  6. FARMWORKER FACTS • 85% of fruits and vegetables in US harvested by hand • There are 2.5- 3 million farmworkers in the United States; 75,000 are H-2A workers. • Agriculture is consistently ranked in the top ten most dangerous occupations in the U.S. • Farm work is among the lowest paid jobs in the nation. The average wage for a farmworker is between $15,000-$17,499 per year. • Farmworkers are affected by family separation. 39% of them are living apart from nuclear family members.

  7. NC Migrant Housing Standards • SPACE: 100 square feet per person • BATHROOM FACILITIES: 1 toilet per 15 people located within 200 feet of housing. Outhouses are allowed. • SLEEPING QUARTERS: 50 square feet per person. Beds or cots; at least three feet apart

  8. NC Migrant Housing Standards • VENTILATION: Window space equal to one-tenth of the floor area. Only half of the windows must be capable of opening. • TOTAL ROOMS: Only 1 room required. Same room can be used to live, cook and sleep

  9. Inhumane living conditions • NC Migrant housing standards: • One toilet for every 15 workers • One urinal for every 25 men • One shower per 10 workers • 27 workers per fridge30 workers per washing machine/tub. We’ve seen workers washing clothes in old pesticide containers

  10. Human Rights Violations • Low wages, withholding wages, “wage-theft” • Human trafficking, indentured servitude-endless cycle of debt • Forced to work. Threats, fear of deportation. Extreme cases: gunpoint, dogs, fencing, drug dependence, physical violence • Child labor-children often work with parents to help financially • Union busting, blacklisting • Discrimination, intimidation, sexual harassment, punishment • Employer control over visitation, transportation, housing, sometimes meals

  11. Child Labor in North Carolina • By the age of 12 a migrant child works in the fields between 16-18 hours per week • 53% of farmworker children have unmet medical needs. • Unstable Schooling • 60% drop out of high school to work

  12. Farmworker “Exceptionalism” Until the 1960s no state or federal labor law included farmworkers. Exclusionary laws: • National Labor Relations Act (1935) excluded farmworkers from collective bargaining protections • Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) established a national minimum wage, guaranteed overtime and prohibited child labor. It originally excluded all fws and was amended in 1978 to mandate min wage for workers on large farms only. Allows farmworker children as young as 10 to work with parents consent.

  13. Get Involved • Support a farmworker-led campaign • Stay informed and attend actions & events • Lobby your legislators, write op-eds, or participate in service projects • Apply for a SAF program

  14. Farmworkers are Organizing!(and need your support)

  15. Apply to be a SAF intern

  16. Into the Fields Internship • 10-week summer program • $1600 stipend • $1700 scholarship • Free rent/ furnished housing • 3 free trainings • Academic credit available • Must speak high-intermediate to advanced Spanish Fellowship • 5-month program • $7500 stipend • $1700 scholarship • 4 free trainings • Academic credit available • Must speak advanced Spanish • Use of a vehicle for the duration of the program Theater & Documentary Cultural Arts Projects

  17. Solidaridad Internship • Academic year program • Support SAF programs: farmworker youth, advocacy and organizing campaigns, and communications arts • $2400 scholarship • 10 hours/week • 1 weekend orientation and 2 day-long trainings with migrant youth • Cohort of 5-10 participants • Mentorship

  18. Over 100,000 farmworkers and their family members have gained access to health, legal, and education resources provided by SAF interns and fellows in the Carolinas, • 1000+ college students from universities across the country and youth in NC have learned about farmworker rights and advocated for farmworker justice as a result of SAF leadership programs, • More than 150 community organizations and university groups have partnered with SAF on critical issues such as migrant housing reform and access to higher education for immigrant students, • Thousands of individuals are more aware of farmworker issues and more empowered to take action because of SAF's community engagement work, including National Farmworker Awareness Week, • Farmworkers live and work under more dignified conditions because of SAF’s successful advocacy in support of migrant housing and pesticide reform and solidarity with farm labor organizing groups that have won contracts yielding higher wages, grievance procedures, and human rights on the job.

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