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A farmworker is a person working in the agricultural production industry. This work occurs on farms of all sizes, from small, family-run businesses to large industrial agriculture operations. Depending on the location and type of farm, the work may be seasonal or permanent. Seasonal workers, often comprised of migrant workers, are low-wage workers, who are not working in their country of origin. Permanent workers may have a particular set of skills or educational backgrounds that allow them to earn higher wages, and are often found on farms where there is year-round production, such as on dairy or beef cattle farms. Many programs exist, such as World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) that facilitate the placement of volunteer farmworkers on specific types of farms. Additionally, farms may offer apprenticeship or internship opportunities where labor is traded for the knowledge and experience gained from a particular type of production.

Demographics of Farm Workers in the United States

Mexican American worker circa 1939

Agricultural workers make up around one-third of the American labor force. About half of these workers are hispanic laborers and supervisors, while most managers are white. 82 percent of workers are male, and the median age is 35. 42 percent were not born in the United States, while 64 percent are considered American citizens. Around 50 percent of workers are not legally authorized to work in the United States, and only 19 percent hold greencards.

Farm Worker Organizing in the United States

Main article: United Farmworkers

Compared to other workers, organization attempts on the behalf of farm-workers face a double challenge. First, labor laws that apply are not always enforced for agricultural workers. The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, for example, which protects most workers who organize and form trade unions from employer retaliation (e.g., the firing of workers for trying to join a union) and sets up a framework for unions and employers to negotiate in good faith, does not extend to farm workers. Similarly, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which sets minimum wage and overtime pay requirements does not apply to farm labor. In 1966, the minimum wage requirement, but not the overtime pay, was extended to apply to farm workers who worked on farms where there was over approximately 7 full-time employees in a quarter. Some states such as California, have passed laws guaranteeing the right to organize, but these apply only to the particular state in which the law was passed. A second important challenge faced by farm worker organizers is the vulnerability of the workers due to their immigration status. The non-immigrant status of guest workers as well as the lack of documentation of many other workers places them in a politically weak position to address worker injustices. Despite these challenges, there has been an important history of farm worker organizing in the United-States, and farm labor organizing continues to this day both to ensure the enforcement of existing regulation and to create new regulations. Some of the causes that these organizations fight for include:

• Free negotiation
• Recognizing workers' rights such as health, wages, and safety
• Fair treatment of undocumented workers
• Fair wages
• Fair trade of product
• Alliances with other organizations and student support
• Good relationship of farmer with buyer
• Protection of children
• Safe housing for workers
• Bias-free policing
• Inclusion in the healthcare system
• Unionization, in some cases
• Education of the community about immigrant workers

Some of the main organizations associated with the farm workers movement are the United Farm Workers, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, the Agricultural Justice Project"The Agricultural Justice Project's Social Justice Standards". Agricultural Justice Project. Retrieved 21 April 2013.</ref>, and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. Many of the issues around which farm workers organize relating to occupational health and safety and labor rights, such as immigration rights and pesticide use on farms, are also socially important issues that affect overall society.

The first approach of organization targets regulation changes by pressuring the government through worker solidarity movements. The UFW, for example, often runs campaigns targeting policy by encouraging citizens to communicate with their government representatives on a variety of issues. As a recent example, on the heels of the death of a young farm worker, the UFW has been encouraging supporters to contact California’s governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, to improve the enforcement of existing regulations regarding working in the heat. Despite having the strictest heat laws in the country, heat deaths continue to occur and are largely attributed to a lack of workplace inspectors which results in a low level of compliance.

A second strategy involves targeting high-profile businesses that are supplied through contractors and subcontractors hiring farm workers. Recently, the Coalition for Immokalee Workers, for example, has applied pressure to several companies through consumer boycotts, including McDonalds and Taco Bell. The result of these campaigns were that these companies agreed to pay an extra penny per pound to the farmworkers who picked for them, regardless of the fact that they were employed through subcontractors.

There are other specific groups that are influential in their organization attempts. For example, the Food Chain Workers Alliance is a coalition of agricultural production organizations founded in 2009 with the goal of creating a sustainable food system and advocating workers' rights while keeping the cost of food down. Campaigns include Dignity at Darden, Making Change at Walmart, and the Campaign for Fair Food. The program also fights for raising the tipped minimum wage, and the Fair Food Agreement with the Coalition of Imomokalee Workers.

Another such group is the ‘’’Agricultural Justice Project’’’ (AJP). This project seeks to promote food justice by creating food labels that signify the certification of fair treatment of the workers who helped produce the food as well as sustainable and fair trade of the food at every step of production. The AJP is affiliated with four other nonprofit organizations: The Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI-USA), The Farmworker Support Committee (CATA), Florida Organic Growers (FOG), and the Northeastern Organic Farming Association (NOFA). Each group has a common goal of improving the quality of life for sustainable farmers.

The Fair World Project, launched by the Organic Consumers Association in 2010, is an organization which promotes fair trade practices as well as the labeling of certified products. It also works to educate consumers and the community about fair trade.

Additional Links to Reading and Policies

Food First Fair Labor Standards Act Occuptional Safety and Health ActImmigration and Nationality Act of 1965 Human Rights Campaign MSPA

NAFTA Fair Labor Standards Act