Lawsuit Ag Labor Pt 2
I’m Bob Larson. A lawsuit could further hamper the ability of Washington farmers to get an adequate number of ag workers to bring in their crops. The suit, brought by farm labor unions, is demanding safer conditions for workers in this coronavirus world.
And while no one is arguing workers don’t deserve protection, Save Family Farming’s Gerald Baron says farm workers have been deemed “essential” …
BARON … “But, I think one of the important questions is, why are farm workers that are considered essential workers being subjected to a much higher level of protection than healthcare workers or other workers in the food service industry? There’s an awful lot of people who are having to work under difficult circumstances.”
Baron says the lawsuit seems to imply that farmers don’t care …
BARON … “Obviously, it’s not that farmers don’t want workers protected. Of course they do, because not only do they care about them, but they care about keeping them available for doing the work that they need to do.”
What it boils down to, Baron says is politics …
BARON … “This is clearly a matter of these extremist labor groups that have been wanting to stop guest workers for a long time using this crisis in a cynical way to push their political agenda. They’re wrapping it around the idea that they’re protecting workers and yet never have they required that the same measures be put in place for their own workers as they are demanding for guest workers.”
Tune in tomorrow for more … on this ongoing battle between domestic farm worker unions and farmers.
