Our country has long been built on the labor of immigrant workers. Currently, 15% of the U.S. workforce is immigrant workers; 5% of the workforce is undocumented. These workers make positive contributions to our economy and society, but too often they are treated poorly and exploited at the workplace. Nationally, nonpayment of earned wages, unsafe and unhealthy work conditions, and poor quality jobs with no benefits are commonplace. Immigrant workers—both with and without legal status–are often unaware of their rights under U.S. law, are too afraid to complain lest they lose their jobs (and thus, in many cases, their immigration status), and have limited English proficiency that deters them from seeking recourse.
Equal rights and equal treatment under the law, the inability of employers to threaten workers with deportation, and strengthened enforcement of labor standards will promote humane treatment and allow immigrant workers to stand up for their rights. All workers benefit from the enforcement of health, safety, wage, and hour laws, as well as the right to peacefully organize.
The Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security (AgJOBS) Act is a result of a compromise between farmworker groups and growers. It will give workers a path to citizenship and improve wages and work conditions while providing a stable workforce for the agriculture industry.