Farm Worker Issues

Among the poorest workers in this country are farmers. Many times, even children work in the fields in order to help their parents provide a sustainable life. Due to their efforts in trying to assist their parents, these children miss school and education. Cesar Chavez once said, “Farmworkers are involved in the planting and the cultivation and the harvesting of the greatest abundance of food known in this society. They bring in so much food to feed you and me and the whole country and enough food to export to other places. The ironic thing and the tragic thing is that after they make this tremendous contribution, they don’t have any money or any food left for themselves.” This statement does not lack truth or is, in any case, hearsay. Farmworkers have the lowest annual family income of any U.S. wage and salary workers. Based on the most recent National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS)– a report published by the U.S. Department of Labor– the average total income of farmworkers is between $15,000 to $17,499 a year for individuals and $20,000 to $24,999 for a family. Since the year 2009, the income for the farmworkers has not increased. In addition to the lack of job security and low wages, farmworkers have a scarcity of benefits that are a part of labor laws, benefits that other workers from other work areas are guaranteed.