Farmworkers keep America fed in the midst of COVID-19

Farmworkers are the backbone of America’s food chain; California’s farmworkers alone produce more than a third of the nation’s vegetables and account for more than 13 percent of the country’s agricultural value. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, these farmworkers are forced to remain working despite the higher risk they face in contracting the disease and suffering from life-threatening and disabling complications. Most farmworkers suffer from a lack of healthcare access and chronic health conditions, pesticide exposure, crowded living and working conditions, no access to personal protective equipment, and the inability to practice social distancing while at work, all of which exacerbate their risk in contracting COVID-19. States such as California, Washington, Florida and Michigan have experienced and continue to experience COVID outbreaks among hundreds of farmworkers. More than 150 farmworkers who work for Primex Farms in Central California have tested positive to COVID-19 and 188 out of 216 farmworkers in a Southern California housing facility also contracted COVID-19. Without necessary protections, these upsurges will reduce the farmworker workforce and greatly impact the nation’s food supply chain. 

Despite the risk farmworkers face while doing their essential work, they have received little support from federal agencies. The $19 billion Farm Relief initiative released in April by the Trump administration provides direct payments to farmers who have suffered at least five percent price decline due to COVID-19, but none of the Farm Relief funds are going towards ensuring farmworkers have the proper working conditions to reduce the risks of contracting COVID-19. Additionally, the USDA has no plans to provide the much needed COVID-19 relief assistance to farmworkers. Although the Families First Coronavirus Response Act signed by Trump protects some employees who fall sick with COVID-19 by requiring employers to provide up to two weeks of COVID-19 sick pay, these protections do not apply to employees who work in private companies that employ more than 500 employees. By providing direct checks to the owners of industrial-sized farms but little assistance to those who harvest our food despite the immense risks they face, the federal government has made their blatant disregard for both the physical and financial health of farmworkers clear. 

In efforts to close the gap left by the federal government, California’s Governor issued an executive order requiring employers from large companies in the food sector to provide COVID-19 sick pay to its employees, including farmworkers. However, some farmworkers do not understand or are not aware of these newly added protections. Additionally, while both the CDC and Cal/OSHA(PDF file) have issued guidelines for COVID-19 infection prevention in the workplace for agricultural employers and employees, it is not clear how California agencies are carrying out these guidelines,  as there seems to be a lack of regulation in enforcement. According to Civil Eats, most of the investigations carried out by OSHA regarding complaints do not result in inspections. Additionally, some farmworkers report a lack of personal protective equipment and of proper social distancing measures. While it is important to recognize the actions that California’s government has taken in efforts to close the gaps left by the federal government, both the state and federal leadership have failed in ensuring the enforcement of the guidelines designed to protect farmworkers. 

Providing safe working conditions and paid sick leave to farmworkers regardless of their immigration status is critical to mitigate the already high risk of farmworkers becoming infected with COVID-19, and most California voters agree. In a study by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies and the California Initiative for Equity and Action (Cal-IHEA), it was found that 71% of California’s voters who were polled support paid sick leave for farm workers who fall victim to COVID-19, regardless of immigration status. Additionally, the Berkeley IGS Poll found that 94% of California’s voters who were polled agree that employers should provide hand washing stations, personal protective equipment, and the adequate conditions for farmworkers to practice physical distancing while at work. These poll findings show that the majority of California’s voters support increasing farmworker protections. 

Assemblymember Robert Rivas’s Farmworker Relief Package, AB 2043, aims to protect farmworkers and the food supply chain by directing agricultural employers to implement the Safety and Health guidelines for COVID-19 infection prevention established by Cal/OSHA, directing the Cal/OSHA Standards Board to establish standards in the workplace for COVID-19 infection prevention such as sanitation practices, social distancing requirements, and personal protective equipment, and also requesting an outreach campaign directed to agricultural employees. This campaign would focus on informing agricultural workers about COVID-19 protection guidelines. I call on our leaders to support AB 2043 as an avenue to protect farmworkers. The federal and state governments must also ensure the enforcement of the CDC and OSHA COVID-19 guidelines, and they must provide relief assistance, health care access, and free testing regardless of farmworker immigration status. Farmworkers play a vital and essential role in keeping our society functioning; it should not have taken a pandemic for us to appreciate and protect them. 

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