Farmworkers in the US cultivate their own heat safety standards

Organizations like Milk and Dignity are filling in the worker safety gaps left behind in federal regulations by working with farms to implement worker-driven protections.

Tomato pickers have spent more than 20 years on a campaign for dignity and fair pay. The workers have succeeded, against incredible odds, in getting some of the biggest corporations in the country to recognize their plight.

Soilless Farm Lab, a Nigerian agricultural technology hub, has trained over 10,000 youth in hydroponic farming since 2019, leading to employment opportunities and demonstrating a climate-resilient approach that uses 90% less water while producing food year-round in a country facing severe food insecurity and land degradation.

Nearly 90% of Icelandic workers enjoy a four-day, 36-hour workweek, with no loss in pay compared to the traditional 40 hours. Despite initial concerns about a drop in productivity, reports indicate that productivity remained stable and even increased in some sectors. The four-day workweek also leads to less stress and improved work-life balance, and countries like Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom are currently testing four-day pilots.

Unit of Work, an organization backed by venture capital, helps unions organize and win contracts. Organizers provide free consulting to groups of workers forming unions within their own workplaces. Once a contract is in place, members of the new union can decide to pay Unit of Work a monthly fee — like traditional union dues — to keep providing support.

Liberty Cleaners co-created a curriculum to train immigrant women workers about tech education, green cleaning, and workers’ rights. As the first women-led workers’ hub in the country, the group is organizing and enabling its members with skills that can ensure they receive the fair wages, opportunities, and respect they deserve but are often denied.

Employees at 7 Yakima Valley fruit packing plants, who are predominately Latinx, went on strike to protest inadequate protection and pay during the Covid-19 pandemic. Agricultural workers accounted for nearly one-fifth of the county’s positive cases. The worker initiated strikes and picket lines were supported by community members, union representatives, and non-profit legal centers. Workers returned to work after gaining concessions on better pay, safety protections, and the formation of worker advocacy committees. The state also issued new workplace safety standards for agricultural workers after protests.

When Juan Reid had a hard time finding a job after his release from prison, he finally founded a worker cooperative called Tightshift Laboring Cooperative. He wanted to create sustainable employment opportunities for himself and others coming out of prison. This is part of a larger trend of worker cooperatives in the Washington, D.C. area. The DC Employee Ownership Initiative and Coop DC are two groups helping businesses like Tightshift and others.

To fight for safer working conditions, a coalition of farmworkers staged protests and led boycotts of corporations such as McDonald’s and Taco Bell, which helped persuade the companies to join their push for better treatment. This led to the creation of the Fair Food Program, an initiative that certifies farms that comply with strict safety standards and gives them access to some of the largest buyers of produce. Farms in 10 states now participate in the program, providing protections for roughly 20,000 workers.

Siragugal Bricks is a community-owned brick kiln operated by rescued bonded laborers, aiming to rehabilitate and empower them to explore business endeavors and find more sustainable, safer sources of income. Since April 2022, 100 families have worked for Siragugal and local government organizations have helped obtain funding and supplies to facilitate Siragugal’s operations, such as power supplies, a work shed and a borehole for water.