Letter to the Hon. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader, and the Hon. Charles Schumer, Senate Minority Leader - Merkley, Wyden Urge Congress to Protect America's Farmworkers in Upcoming Relief Legislation

Letter

Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer,

The COVID-19 health crisis has presented our nation with challenges unlike any we have seen in
our lifetimes. During this crisis, our frontline farmworkers are laboring every day to put food on
America's dinner table and maintain the nation's food supply. As the virus threatens the
resiliency of our food supply chains, it has never been more important to ensure the well-being
of our agricultural producers and workforce. Future legislation in response to the coronavirus
pandemic must include protections for these vital members of our communities. Among them,
for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue an Emergency
Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring employers to develop and implement a comprehensive plan
to protect their workers.

We support ongoing efforts to help agricultural producers through this crisis, and also believe it
is critical to recognize that our nation's food security depends on the ability of farmworkers to
continue to work safely to produce our nation's food. To support farmworkers (regardless of
immigration status) and contain the spread of COVID-19 in agricultural communities, we urge
that any future emergency funding to agricultural producers require recipients to:

Provide sick pay and family leave for farmworkers to be able to sustain themselves (should
they or other family members fall ill with COVID-19 symptoms) and protect other workers
from exposure.
Provide pandemic or hazard premium pay for farmworkers who are putting themselves and
their families at a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19 to feed the nation.
Maintain payrolls and limit farmworker layoffs and furloughs.
Implement CDC recommendations on sanitation and social distancing in work sites,
employer provided housing and transportation.

Farmworkers and their families need our support and protection. Their work for this country
should be respected and honored as our food supply depends on them.

As this crisis evolves and Congress continues to explore response packages, we stand ready to
work with you to ensure these protections are made available.