Farm workers in the United States earn an average of $10,000 per year.
Farm worker wages have declined by more than 20% in the last twenty years, after accounting for inflation.
Farm workers have the lowest annual family incomes of any U.S. wage and salary workers. (Charles D. Thompson Jr. and Melinda F. Wiggins, The Human Cost of Food: Farmworkers' Lives, Labor and Advocacy. University of Texas Press; Austin; 2002.)
Two-thirds of our nation's migrant households, and seventy percent of our nation's migrant children, live below the federal poverty line. (Daniel Rothenberg, With These Hands: The Hidden World of Migrant Farm workers Today. Harcourt Brace and Company. New York, San Diego, London. 1998.)
A 2003 Study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center found that nearly half of Latino migrant farm workes in central North Carolina couldn't afford enough food for their families.
One-half of all farm workers are hired through crew leaders or farm labor contractors. This arrangement allows growers to avoid their obligations under state or federal employment law - including minimum wage requirements. (Farmworker Justice Fund 2004 Report)
Many farm workers are paid by the amount of the crop they harvest - by "piece rate." For example, cucumber pickers in North Carolina receive approximately 65 cents for each 33 pound bucket they harvest. This averages out to around $3.90 per hour. ("Boycott Mt. Olive Pickles" circular. Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO. Toledo, Ohio.)
Foreign-born farm workers are considerably more likely to be impoverished than those born in the United States; 65% vs. 42%. In 1997-1998, eighty-one percent of all farm workers in the U.S. were foreign-born; with the vast majority being from Mexico. (Mehta, et. al. "Findings From the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) 1997-1998: A Demographic And Employment Profile Of United States Farm workers." U.S. Department of Labor, March 2000)
(Note: Seventy-seven percent of all farm workers in the United States were born in Mexico. U.S.-born whites represent 7% of the farm labor workforce; while U.S.-born Latinos represent 9% and U.S.-born African Americans represent 1%. The average age of a farm worker is thirty-one. And eighty percent of all farm workers in the United States are men.) (Ibid.)
In the state of Florida, many tomato pickers have not had a pay raise in over 20 years. They still earn between 40-50 cents for each 32-pound bucket they pick. (Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). Immokalee, Florida.)
In the state of California, thousands of agricultural employers routinely violate federal and state labor laws by underpaying, sometimes entirely stiffing, tens of thousands of farm workers, according to the Sacramento Bee. They reported that thirty-five percent of vineyard employers did not pay their workers the minimum wage. None of these employers were prosecuted for minimum wage violations. (Andy Furillo: "Toiling Under Abuse: Farm workers' Struggle Goes On. A Sacramento Bee Special Report." Sacramento Bee, May 20, 2001.)
Working Conditions
Farm work is one of the most hazardous occupations in the country. The death rate among agricultural workers nationwide was an estimated 20.9 per 100,000 workers in 1996; compared to the average for all industries of 3.9 per 100,000 workers. (Reeves, et. al. "Fields of Poison: California Farm workers and Pesticides."California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, Pesticide Action Network North America, and the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO. 1999.)
Between 1996 and 1999, there was a 33% increase in deaths among California farm workers. During that same time period, there was a 9% decrease in industrial fatalities; in the state of California. ("California Farm Labor By The Numbers." Sacramento Bee. May 20, 2001.)
Our nation's 2.5 million farm workers face a greater risk of pesticide exposure than any other segment of the population. Pesticide exposure can cause a variety of health problems, such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, rashes and burns. Long-term effects of pesticide exposure can include cancer, sterility, birth defects, and damage to the nervous system. (Reeves, et. al. "Fields of Poison: California Farm workers and Pesticides"; Kegley et. al "Hooked on Poison: Pesticide Use in California, 1991-1998. Pesticide Action Network North America, 2000; Thompson and Wiggins, The Human Cost of Food: Farmworkers' Lives, Labor and Advocacy.)
In 2004, the state of Washington found that one in five farmworkers who handles pesticides experienced significant health effects. (Messages from Monitoring, April, 2005)
Federal laws and regulations give hired farm workers exposed to pesticides inadequate protection. The EPA estimates that farm workers suffer up to 300,000 acute illnesses and injuries from pesticide exposure each year. ("Hired Farm workers Health and Well-Being At Risk." United States General Accounting Office Report to Congressional Requesters. February, 1992)
According to the United States General Accounting Office: "Many hired farm workers are unprotected by federal regulations for field sanitation. The absence of drinking water, hand washing facilities and toilets in fields constitutes a serious health hazard to hundreds of thousands ofhired farm workers...... farms with 10 or fewer workers are exempt from OSHA field sanitation standards." (Ibid.)
According to the Wall Street Journal: "Despite their long hours and usually arduous toil, California farm workers are often forced to do without clean toilets, toilet paper, soap, paper towels and fresh water for drinking and hand washing." Tens of thousands of farms throughout the state lack the most basic elements of workplace health and safety. (Marc Lifsher, "California's Farms Face Pressure to Improve Sanitary Conditions." Wall Street Journal. March 4, 1998.)
An investigative report by the Miami Herald found that many Florida farm workers face sweatshop hours, slum housing, poverty pay, and criminal abuse at the hands of third-party contractors; who house and feed the workers "for fees that keep them destitute and in debt." (Miami Herald. Ronnie Green, "Fields of Despair." August 31 - September 2, 2003.)
In five cases since 1996, a dozen Florida farm labor contractors, smugglers and their associates have been sent to prison for enslaving and exploiting farm workers. (Ronnie Greene, "New Farmhand Abuse Claims Probed." Miami Herald. December 4, 2003.)
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In June of 2002, three citrus contractors were convicted in federal court on charges of conspiring to hold hundreds of workers as slaves, threatening them with violence and holding them hostage over alleged $1,000 debts; according to the Associated Press. (Jill Barton, Associated Press writer, "Slavery Conviction Could Help Improve Farm Working Conditions." Naples Daily News. June 29, 2002.)
In June 2002, six farm labor contractors were indicted on federal charges of holding uncodumented farm workers in conditions of forced labor; virtually enslaving them in unsanitary migrant labor camps near Buffalo, New York. According to the indictment, the workers were not allowed to leave the camps until all their debts were paid off; debts that were impossible to repay due to large paycheck deductions for food, housing and transportation. The contractors are also alleged to have used threats of physical harm against the workers as well as guards to monitor their movements. [more]
In December of 2003 the Palm Beach Post published a series of articles entitled, simply, "Modern Day Slavery". A product of nine months of in-depth investigative reporting by a team of Post writers, it describes two new slavery cases, cases not yet investigated by authorities but researched and reported by Palm Beach Post journalists. (
There are an estimated 900,000 migrant students. About 50% finish high school. ("Changing School With the Season," Christian Science Monitor. February 15, 2005)
In order to help support their families, many farm worker children drop out of school and work alongside their parents in the field. The average migrant child may attend three different schools during one academic year. For many migrant children, it takes roughly three years to advance one grade level. ("United States Farm worker Fact Sheet." Student Action With Farm Workers. Durham, North Carolina.)
By the time they reach first grade, fifty percent of migrant children will have fallen below national scholastic averages. The majority of farm worker children will never graduate from high school. (Daniel Rothenberg, With These Hands: The Hidden World of Migrant Farmworkers Today.)
Hundreds of thousands of adolescent farm workers are laboring under dangerous and grueling conditions in the United States. These children often work 12-hour days, and during peak season, may work 14 hours a day or more, seven days a week. One-third of those interviewed by Human Rights Watch (an international human rights organization) reported earning significantly less than the minimum wage. Some workers were paid as little as $2.00 an hour." ("Fingers To The Bone: United States Failure To Protect Child Farm Workers." Human Rights Watch. New York. June 2000.)
Agriculture is the most dangerous occupation open to minors in the United States. When children work in the fields, occupational injury presents an even more significant risk than for adults because of their lack of experience. Children working in agriculture in the U.S. represent only 8% of the population of working minors, yet account for 40% of work-related fatalities among minors. An estimated 100,000 children suffer agriculture-related injuries annually in the United States. (Ibid.)
Under existing U.S. law, adolescent farm workers can work at younger ages, for longer hours, and under more hazardous conditions than children in other jobs. The Fair Labor Standards Act sets age 12 as the legal limit for farm work, with exemptions available for children as young as 10 or 11. Studies have shown that many children under age 12 continue to do farm work.This double standard amounts to discrimination against child farm workers, the majority of whom are Latino. (Ibid.)
Even when children do not work, they may be at risk. Because child care facilities are rarely available, many farmworker children are present in the fields and thus are exposed to pesticides on plants and in the dirt. Children have a smaller body mass than adults and their metabolisms differ from those of adults. As a result, it is thought that the consequences of pesticide exposure may be more severe for children. ( /
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Children of migrant farm workers have high rates of parasitic infections, malnutrition, and dental disease. They are also less likely than other children to be fully immunized. ("United States Farm worker Fact Sheet." Student Action With Farm workers. Durham, North Carolina.)
Changing schools often is hard on migrant children emotionally. Children are more likely to drop out of school if they change schools four or more times. The Migrant Head Start Program, a federally subsidized educational program, has proven to be very beneficial to children who move frequently but, as with most programs, the need outweighs the resources. However, there is some hope in recent years. Despite the deep emotional ties and traditions that bind the farmworker family, it appears that more students are now being allowed to stay behind in school when other family members migrate. Educators who work with migrant children say that 55 percent of migrant children graduate nationwide, compared with only 45 percent just a few years ago. (
Additionally, differences in the acculturation levels of parents and children place a strain on the family. Due to their superior English language fluency, some migrant children refer to themselves as negotiators for their parents, a role requiring skills well beyond those expected for a child's age.
WRAL Documentary on Farmworker Housing in NC - August 2005
Powerful series showing farm worker housing conditions in NC.
In a 1998 front-page article, the New York Times reported: "Three decades after Cesar Chavez made the shocking conditions of migrant workers a national cause, more farm workers than ever are living in squalor." Approximately 800,000 farm workers nationwide lack adequate shelter, according to the Housing Assistance Council, a Washington-based consulting group that studies rural housing. (Steven Greenhouse, "As U.S. Economy Booms, Housing For Migrant Workers Worsens." New York Times. May 31, 1998.)
The New York Times also reported that: "The housing shortage (for farm workers) is so severe that in harvest time visits to farming communities up and down both coasts...workers were found packed 10-12 into trailers, and sleeping in garages, tool sheds, caves, fields and parking lots. Along the Columbia River in Mattawa, Washington, dozens of Mexicans up for the cherry harvest slept in crude tents and lean-tos. In Belle Glade, Florida, hundreds of decrepit shacks have been demolished, only to be replaced by ramshackle rooming houses." (Steven Greenhouse, "As U.S. Economy Booms, Housing For Migrant Workers Worsens." New York Times. May 31, 1998.)
The same report stated: "Over the past decade, the federal and state governments, working with growers, have built tens of thousands of housing units for migrants. But those units usually go to families, citizens and legal immigrants, rarely benefiting several large groups facing the worst circumstances: single men and women, illegal immigrants and workers who move from harvest to harvest." (Steven Greenhouse, "As U.S. Economy Booms, Housing For Migrant Workers Worsens." New York Times. May 31, 1998.)
An estimated 2,300-plus homeless farmworkers, nursery workers, landscapers, day laborers and others-nearly one-fourth of San Diego County's homeless population-live in the county year-round, according to San Diego's Regional Task Force on the Homeless. Many are undocumented, though not all. ("The not-so-great outdoors. More than 2,300 homeless agricultural workers, others said to be living in canyons of San DiegoCounty." By Leslie Berestein. San Diego Union-Tribune. June 4, 2006.)
There are also approximately 100-150 farm worker camps located throughout San Diego County, CA. These encampments range in size from a few /
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people to a few hundredand are frequently found in fields, hillsides, canyons, ravines and riverbeds. The camps are located primarily in the NorthCounty, along the coastal region, in the northern part of the city of San Diego and adjacent to farming operations where the workers regularly seek day labor. ("Regional Housing Needs Statement-San Diego Region." San Diego Association of Governments, June, 1999; "San DiegoCounty's Homeless Profile," Regional Task Force on the Homeless.)
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A 2000 report on the health of California farmworkers, sponsored by the California Endowment, found that "no group of workers in America faces greater barriers in accessing basic health services. (Washington Post, October 12, 2007) Full story
Physicians treating farm workers generally compare their health to that of residents of the developing world. Farm workers suffer from chronic infections, advanced untreated diseases, and numerous problems resulting from limited access to medical care. (Daniel Rothenberg, With These Hands: The Hidden World of Migrant Farmworkers Today.)
Infant mortality rates among farm worker children are double the national average. (Ibid.)
The average life expectancy of a farm worker in the United States is forty-nine years. (Bugarin and Lopez, "Farm workers in California." CaliforniaState Library. California Research Bureau. 1998.)
Farm workers suffer higher incidences of heat stress, dermatitis, influenza, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and pesticide-related illnesses than other occupational groups. Few, if any, farm workers have health insurance; and very few are covered through Medicaid. ("United States Farm worker Fact Sheet." Student Action With Farmworkers.)
Depression is common among farmworker adults, where it is often related to isolation, economic hardship, and weather conditions. In addition, poverty, stress, mobility, and lack of recreational opportunities make farmworkers especially vulnerable to substance abuse. (
Migrant workers don't generally earn enough to pay for health care, and they almost never have health insurance. They may also lack transportation to the clinic or, since they don't receive sick leave, be afraid of losing wages or even losing their jobs if they take time off to seek health care. The U.S. Public Health Service funds some migrant health centers to help provide care to farmworkers, but not nearly enough to meet the need. (
Although farmworkers fit the eligibility profile for assistance programs such as Medicaid, Temporary Aid to Needy Families, and Social Security Insurance, few can actually obtain benefits. This is because of enrollment and eligibility standards that are not designed to accommodate people who must move frequently to find work, or whose income may fluctuate dramatically during the agricultural season even though their annual wages are below the poverty level. Also, many farmworkers do not understand that they are eligible for benefits and so do not apply.
Women are 21 percent of all crop workers and 10 percent of the foreign-born newcomers. Women farmworkers are less likely than men to be unauthorized (39% vs. 56%) and are more likely than men to be U.S.-born (33% vs. 20%) National Agricultural Workers Survey, 2001-2002
Farmworker women "do nearly every kind of farm labor on every kind of farm. They routinely earn less money than men for doing the same work." Many face sexual harassment at work and are frequently isolated, living in remote rural areas, dependent upon their husbands or crew leaders for transportation. (Farmworker Justice Fund, Inc.)
About 52 percent of farmworker women are U.S. born. Two out of three are non-Hispanic. Due to the need to migrate to find employment, two in five married farmworkers live apart from their spouses while doing farmwork; the same proportion live away from their children.
Farmworker women and the wives of farmworkers enjoy few social and economic freedoms and face high unemployment. There is a lack of child care available, so they often bring their children to the fields with them. (Farmworker Justice Fund, Inc.)
Prolonged standing and bending, overexertion, dehydration, poor nutrition, and pesticide and chemical exposures contribute to an increased risk of spontaneous abortion, premature delivery, and fetal abnormalities. Moreover, low socioeconomic status, frequently young maternal age, and inadequate prenatal care contribute to an infant mortality rate among MSFWs that is twice the national average.
Certain pesticides have serious endocrine, reproductive, and oncogenic effects on pregnant women and on growing children. Breast and reproductive organ malignancies are associated with pesticide exposures. Pesticides, as endocrine disruptors, can cause abnormal genital development (and sexual precocity) and may be responsible, in part, for dramatically decreasing male sperm counts over the past 50 years.
A 1995 survey of farmworker women conducted by the Migrant Clinicians Network, found that one in three had experienced domestic violence in the last year. The isolated nature of migrant labor camps, the transient life of migrant farmworkers, and the fact that farmworker housing is often tied to employment make it difficult for farmworker women who experience domestic violence to find help. For Latin American women who are migrating, family support networks are not as strong in the U.S. as in their native countries.