There is no question about the essential role that agriculture plays in our state. Governor Bob Ferguson proclaimed March “Washington Agriculture Month,” recognizing the farmworkers who help feed our communities and power our economy. Recognition matters, but not enough. We need action and legislative movement in order to ensure farmworkers are fairly compensated for their labor.
This legislative session, Washington lawmakers missed a key opportunity by failing to pass Senate Bill 6045, legislation sponsored by Senator Rebecca Saldaña that aimed to grant union recognition and collective bargaining rights to Washington’s farmworkers and reverse decades of neglect. Lawmakers did take steps to uplift workers in other sectors, including passing the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, House Bill 2355, which establishes baseline labor protections for nannies, housekeepers, gardeners, and other domestic workers across the state. That law will make a major difference for domestic workers and their families, the majority of whom are Latino immigrants, but farmworkers remain excluded.
Almost a century ago, lawmakers intentionally excluded agricultural and domestic workers from the National Labor Relations Act in an effort to suppress Black workers. As a result, farmers were denied many rights other workers take for granted, including overtime, paid rest breaks, and fair bargaining power under a union contract. That exclusion was rooted in racism and economic exploitation, and although the workforce has changed, the legacy of that decision remains.
We cannot have real justice until we come to terms with these past harms and correct them for our collective future.
That’s why my organization Familias Unidas por la Justicia (FUJ), an independent farmworkers union, has been fighting to right these wrongs. In the last couple of years, we won paid rest breaks through a Washington State Supreme Court ruling and paid overtime through the legislature. Those are big, but what we really need are collective bargaining rights.
In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, hundreds of apple-packing warehouse workers in Yakima Valley went out on strike for basic protective equipment and enforcement of safety laws as COVID outbreaks spread rapidly through agricultural worksites. Workers told us they believed their mistreatment was tied to their status as immigrants. But when workers tried to organize, employers responded with intimidation, including hiring union-busting consultants and conducting unjust firings. Workers were warned that if they voted to unionize, management would retaliate by using E-Verify, a federal system that employers can use to check workers’ immigration status.
Over the past year, this kind of retaliation has only continued, with labor leaders and organizers increasingly targeted and detained by ICE, particularly those speaking out and organizing for better working conditions. One of those targeted was Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez, a member of FUJ. Having seen firsthand how a union contract can strengthen not just individual workers, but entire communities, Juarez has long advocated for labor rights for all workers, regardless of immigration status. His advocacy and organizing made him a visible leader in the fight for farmworker rights. When Juarez was detained, it was our union and labor allies who mobilized at the Tacoma detention center to demand his release.
Earlier this session, farmworker Gilardo Perez of Quincy, who has worked in agriculture for more than 25 years, testified that he was targeted for speaking out against the use of H-2A guest worker programs to replace longtime local workers. He described how, without union protections, workers are pushed into lower wages and harsher conditions, with little ability to advocate for fair pay. Today, his work remains uncertain as employers increasingly favor temporary H-2A workers over experienced farmworkers rooted in the community.
Saldaña’s SB 6045, or a bill like it, would change this system by giving farm workers a formal mechanism to address wage suppression and hiring practices through enforceable contracts, rather than risking retaliation for speaking out individually.
Industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor are often the ones riddled with abuses and least likely to be unionized. National data shows that immigrant workers face a higher risk of wage theft. In response, our state Attorney General Nick Brown has been standing up to this discrimination by bringing legal action against unfair hiring practices in the agricultural industry. But, enforcement after harm occurs is not the same as giving workers the power to negotiate protections before abuses happen. Collective bargaining would allow farmworkers to secure workplace standards proactively, rather than relying solely on litigation after violations take place. At the same time, corporate consolidation in agriculture continues to squeeze both farmworkers and small farmers, concentrating power in the hands of a few large operations.
That’s why legislation like this is not only good for farmworkers—it is good for the Washington farm industry as a whole. Strengthening workplace standards and collective bargaining rights would help combat toxic and unsafe conditions often driven by large corporate agricultural employers. Pushing back against the consolidation of power in the hands of a few dominant operations supports a more stable and sustainable industry that benefits independent growers and smaller farms as well.
At a time when farmworkers are facing heightened fear and instability, we must build the political will to correct this exclusion. Lawmakers should bring this legislation back next session and pass it. Voters should ask their representatives where they stand on extending basic labor protections to the people who harvest our food. Farmworkers deserve the same dignity, protections, and voice as every other worker.
Edgar Franks is a former farmworker and political director at Familias Unidas por la Justicia, a worker union in Washington state.
