FJ Newsletter – April 2023
“Connecting the humanity of the labor in the fields and farms with the sustainability of efforts being accomplished at Farmworker Justice”
THE FARMWORKER JUSTICE DIFFERENCE
We are proud to share that in my first 12 months, Farmworker Justice made significant strides in improving the lives of farmworkers across the United States. Our impact included providing health resources such as training, symposiums, and resources for environmental justice, delivering safety training on dairy farms, and exceeding our targets for COVID-19 training for farmworkers and employers.
Through our partnership with OSHA, we trained 783 farmworkers and employers and developed multilingual ACA fact sheets and outreach worker guides to increase healthcare access for farmworkers. We also promoted skin cancer detection and treatment in rural communities through screening events and support.
Our legislative wins included achievements such as bilingual labels, and funding for training and surveillance through PRIA 5. We also continued to advocate for fair and safe working conditions for farmworkers.
To learn more about our impact, please visit our website to preview the infographic to dive deeper into the work we’ve accomplished.
Join us in continuing to make a difference in the lives of farmworkers across the country. Thank you for your support.
CHECK OUT THE WHOLE IMPACT WE MADE
2023 & BEYOND
FJ will continue its advocacy and programs to improve farmworkers’ working and living conditions. Our key priorities for 2023 include:
- Pesticide Protection
- Responding to the Climate Change Crisis
- H-2A Visa Temporary Guestworker Program
- Immigration Reform
- Exclusion from Labor Protections
- Human Trafficking
- Workplace Harassment
- Wage Protection
- Healthcare (Access/Services)
Our programs work directly with regional and local farmworker-serving organizations to provide information and training on various topics. In 2023, we will continue to respond to the needs of farmworker communities and monitor emerging issues that impact farmworkers and the rural communities in which they reside. They include:
- Environmental Justice
- Economic Empowerment
- Innovation in Labor
- Civic Participation
ISSUE SPOTLIGHT – PESTICIDE PROTECTION
In December of last year, FJ and other farmworker advocates celebrated a significant victory when Congress mandated that health and safety information on pesticide label be translated into Spanish–which is typically written only in English. The changes will be phased in, beginning with the most toxic pesticides. The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA) also increases funding for farmworker pesticide safety training and directs these funds to grassroots farmworker-serving organizations.
In addition, the EPA recently announced that it will take accelerated action to require pesticide manufacturers to mitigate the risks posed by four organophosphate pesticides (OPs), a class of chemicals associated with neurological damage and other serious health effects on farmworkers. The EPA is currently reviewing the existing approvals of the pesticides diazinon, ethoprop, tribufos and phosmet, which are due to be concluded in 2025-26. But, as FJ and other allied groups have advocated, EPA will not wait until it concludes the review to begin addressing high risks it has already identified.
The EPA has also published a proposed rule regarding the Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ), a specific radius around a pesticide application area that must be free of people while a pesticide is being applied. An AEZ rule was originally adopted in 2015, but in 2020 EPA made changes that in many cases reduced the size of the AEZ. FJ and other organizations filed a lawsuit and the 2020 rule never went into effect. The new proposed rule eliminates most of the 2020 changes.
Celebrating Farmworker Awareness Month
Farmworker Justice participated in multiple events over the course of Farmworker Awareness Week, as well as the entirety of the month of March. These events took place all over the country, including Riverside, CA, Orlando, FL, and San Bernardino, CA.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Join us in welcoming our new Communications Specialist, Antonio Chaurand. We are all excited about this new addition and anticipate Antonio to do great things for the organization. I would also like to congratulate Alexis Guild and Rebecca Young for their well-deserved promotions. Alexis is our Vice President of Strategy and Programs, and Rebecca is our Director of Programs.
SUPPORT FJ TODAY
Are you interested in getting involved with Farmworker Justice and supporting our mission of ensuring fair working conditions, economic opportunities, and a voice in our democracy for farmworkers across the United States? There are three ways you can help sustain our efforts:
- Make a donation: Click HERE to make a donation on our website.
- Join our listserv: Sign up for our mailing list on our website to receive updates on our work and opportunities to get involved.
- Use your voice: If you’re unable to make a monetary contribution, use your energy, commitment, and social media platforms to bring awareness to farmworkers and the issues they face.
Join us in taking the farmworker movement to new heights and making a difference in the lives of farmworkers across the country. Life as a farmworker should not be a poverty sentence!