The three bills would expand federal support and representation for food and farm workers, including critical wage and overtime protections
WASHINGTON, D.C. – HEAL Food Alliance celebrates U.S. Senator Padilla’s (D-Calif.) reintroduction of three bills that would strengthen federal protections, representation, and resources for food and farm workers. The Supporting Our Farm and Food System Workers Act, Voice for Farm Workers Act, and Fairness for Farm Workers Act recognize that the people who grow, process, transport, and prepare the nation’s food deserve safe workplaces, fair pay, and a meaningful voice in the policies that shape their lives.
Together, the bills would create a dedicated office at USDA focused on the food and farm workforce, strengthen the role of the Department’s Farmworker Coordinator, and extend federal wage and overtime protections to agricultural workers. They would also help ensure that workers and worker organizations have greater access to USDA programs and a stronger voice within the Department.
“A strong food system begins with investing in the people who make it possible,” said Nichelle Harriott, Policy Director at HEAL Food Alliance. “Food and farm workers are the backbone of America’s food system. Yet as corporate power becomes increasingly concentrated, too many workers are denied fair pay, safe conditions, and a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect their lives. These bills would help rebalance that power by strengthening worker representation at USDA, expanding access to federal resources, and advancing long-overdue wage and overtime protections. Congress should invest in the people who feed our communities and ensure they can work with dignity, security, and a real voice in our food system.”
“Food and farm workers make it possible for families across the country to put food on the table, but too often our members’ work is undervalued and our families’ voices are left out of the decisions that shape their lives,” said Jeannie Economos, Health and Safety Project Coordinator of the Farmworker Association of Florida, a member of HEAL Food Alliance. “No worker should have to choose between earning a paycheck and protecting their health, or to work long hours without fair compensation. These bills would give workers greater representation, stronger protections, and better access to the resources they need to support our families and communities. Workers know what it takes to build a safer and fairer food system, and the workers themselves deserve a meaningful role in shaping it.”
There are more than 21 million food and farmworkers, representing 10.4 percent of the U.S. workforce. Yet, despite their essential role, food and farm systems workers have historically been excluded from core labor protections and continue to face significant gaps in workplace protections. As a result, they are often underpaid, exposed to hazardous conditions, and left vulnerable to abusive and exploitative labor practices. At the same time, many immigrant workers who are critical to the nation’s food system face fear and uncertainty due to aggressive immigration enforcement, creating additional barriers to reporting labor violations, accessing basic worker protections, and advocating for safe and fair conditions without fear of retaliation.
These bills are an important step toward building a food system that values worker dignity, advances equity, and ensures the workers who feed our nation have the protections, resources, and the representation they deserve.
About the bills
The Supporting Our Farm and Food System Workers Act would create the USDA Office of the Farm and Food System Workforce, which would serve as a liaison and resource for food and farm workers, provide a platform for them to share their concerns and perspectives, and increase coordination across federal departments and agencies.
The Voice for Farm Workers Act would expand the current role of USDA Farmworker Coordinator by strengthening collaboration within the Department and with outside groups, developing new recommendations, initiatives, and programs, and authorizing additional staff members within the Department to support the Coordinator in their duties.
The Fairness for Farm Workers Act would update our nation’s labor laws to ensure farm workers receive fair wages and compensation. The bill would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to end federal overtime and minimum wage exemptions for farm workers. It would also repeal overtime exemptions for employers in several agriculture-related industries.
These bills complement other legislation supported by HEAL, including the Fairness for Small-Scale Farmers & Ranchers Act and the Agricultural Worker Justice Act. Together, these proposals would confront corporate consolidation, strengthen labor standards, and ensure federal policy better reflects the needs of the farmers and workers who sustain the nation’s food system.
HEAL Food Alliance urges other members of Congress to join Senator Padilla in championing these bills and investing in the people whose labor keeps America fed.