A few weeks ago, 17 State Attorneys General, growers and big-time farmers filed a suit against the U.S. Department of Labor to stop the new farmworker protection rule from going into effect. We cannot let this happen.
Today, we filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit to ensure that our organization and migrant agricultural workers have a seat at the table as the court decides the future of the rule. We are seeking to enter the suit in two different roles: as an organizational defendant-intervenor and also as counsel for Candelario and Jorge, two migrant H-2A farmworkers who are speaking out in defense of the new farmworker protections.
We’re proud to co-counsel with and be represented by Adam Pulver of Public Citizen, and grateful to Dan Werner of Radford Scott LLP, who serves as local counsel.
By intervening we are fighting to ensure that workers can welcome organizations like ours in their employer-provided housing without fear of retaliation. We are fighting for seatbelts and safe transportation and for all the protections against recruitment fraud, retaliation and trafficking included in the H-2A rule.
Both Candelario and Jorge faced retaliation for standing up for themselves and their coworkers to demand better working conditions –self-organizing activities that would be protected under the new rule. They too are fighting to ensure that they and other workers are better protected in future H-2A employment and can demand better working conditions.
Stronger farmworker protections are necessary and long-overdue. We’re determined to see the new farmworker protections implemented as soon as possible. And we are committed to ensuring migrant worker voices are front and center during the upcoming proceedings. If our motion to intervene is granted, we will be in a great position to do so.