Farmworker
Justice
July 2024 - summer edition
Honoring the people who
harvest the fields
Message from the CEO
“We remain thankful to our
partners, funders and
friends for their support.
Working together we can
continue our efforts to
ensure farmworkers and
their families are treated
with the dignity they
deserve.”
Ron Estrada
CEO
Farmworker Justice
F o r o u r n a t i o n ’ s f a r m w o r k e r s s u m m e r b r i n g s
s c o r c h i n g t e m p e r a t u r e s t h a t m a k e w o r k i n g
c o n d i t i o n s u n s a f e a n d o f t e n d a n g e r o u s .
W e l i v e i n u n p r e c e d e n t e d p o l i t i c a l t i m e s ,
u n d e r s c o r i n g t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f r e g u l a t i o n s
t h a t p r o t e c t f a r m w o r k e r s f r o m h e a t s t r e s s a n d
w i l d f i r e s m o k e , a s w e l l a s p r o h i b i t i o n s a g a i n s t
t h e t r a n s p o r t o f f a r m w o r k e r s w i t h o u t
s e a t b e l t s . A s s u c h , w e w e r e g l a d t o s e e o u r
r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s i n c l u d e d i n " I m p r o v i n g
P r o t e c t i o n s F o r W o r k e r s i n T e m p o r a r y
A g r i c u l t u r a l E m p l o y m e n t i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , "
a n d l o o k f o r w a r d t o c o n t i n u i n g w o r k i n g w i t h
t h e D O L i n t h i s e f f o r t .
F a r m w o r k e r f a m i l i e s h i t b y t r a g e d y c a n n o t b e a r
t h e a s s o c i a t e d c o s t s n o r c o n t i n u e t o a f f o r d t h e
b a s i c s , i n c l u d i n g f o o d a n d h o u s i n g . O u r
F a r m w o r k e r R e l i e f F u n d w i l l f o c u s o n r a i s i n g
a w a r e n e s s o f t h e c h a l l e n g e s f a c e d b y
f a r m w o r k e r s a l o n g w i t h p r o c e e d s t o s u p p o r t
f a m i l i e s d u r i n g d i f f i c u l t t i m e s .
W e c o n t i n u e t o b e g r a t e f u l t o o u r g e n e r o u s
d o n o r s a n d p a r t n e r s w h o s e s u p p o r t h a s h e l p e d
u s g r o w . W e r e c e n t l y w e l c o m e d L o r i J o h n s o n a s
t h e n e w D i r e c t o r o f L e g a l / S e n i o r S t a f f A t t o r n e y
w h i c h w i l l a l l o w u s t o e x p a n d o u r a b i l i t y t o
s e e k j u s t i c e f o r f a r m w o r k e r s . F o r m o r e
i n f o r m a t i o n o n h o w y o u c a n s u p p o r t F J , g o t o
w w w . f a r m w o r k e r j u s t i c e . o r g .
O n w a r d !
R o n a l d " R o n " E s t r a d a
C E O
F a r m w o r k e r J u s t i c e
In May and June, FJ published several publications under its
National Training and Technical Assistance Partner
cooperative agreement with the Health Resources and
Services Administration (HRSA).
Issue Brief: Farmworkers and HIV - This issue brief provides an
overview of current AIDS policy, barriers to screening and
testing, and best practices to support HIV testing and
treatment in farmworker communities.
Sexual Violence in Agricultural Communities: A Guide for
Clinicians - This guide, co-created with Migrant Clinicians
Network, provides information on policy and strategies for
health care providers to support farmworker survivors of
sexual violence. It is available in English and Spanish.
Serving Farmworker Patients Who Speak Indigenous
Languages - This fact sheet is for health care providers to
ensure the provision of linguistically appropriate services to
Indigenous-speaking farmworkers. Co-created with Rural
Women’s Health Project and Language Access Florida, the
fact sheet highlights recommendations for providers directly
from Indigenous farmworkers. It is available in English and
Spanish.
FJ Publications
Farmworker Justice recently began implementation of a
three-year project funded by the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) to increase knowledge among agricultural
workers and their families concerning wildfire emergency
preparedness and to link them to emergency alerts and
resources. Last month, FJ kicked off the first iteration of a
social media campaign on wildfire preparedness to amplify
preparedness information during the summer wildfire
season. Over the next two years, in collaboration with
project partners in Washington state, FJ will pilot a toolkit of
resources and develop SMS/text messages to share with
farmworkers. Project activities will be informed by a needs
assessment to identify gaps in disaster preparedness and
risk communication in farmworker communities in
Washington state.
Wildfire Preparedness
Farmworker Justice’s Creating Safer Workplaces for
Women: Sembrando Respeto, Cosechando Dignidad
concluded in the spring, successfully reaching and/or
exceeding all deliverables. Cumulatively the numbers were
impressive: 27, 927 women were reached over the course
of the project! Social media views were robust, yielding a
total of 29, 289 impressions; 31, 355 copies of informational
materials were distributed; and a large number of women
(1681) were referred to ancillary services for assistance
accessing legal help, childcare, food, Medicaid, etc.
Partners shared that this project was instrumental in their
communities, providing the opportunity to bring a much-
needed topic to the forefront of discussion. FJ has
reapplied for funding to continue these important efforts.
Creating Safer
Workplaces for Women
As of June 24, 2024, the avian flu (H5N1) has been detected
in 118 dairy herds across 12 states with three known cases
among dairy workers, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). Throughout the outbreak, FJ
has been in communication with national and federal
partners to ensure that advocates and workers have the
information they need. As a member of the Farmworker
Health Network, FJ participates in calls with federal
agencies, including the Health Resources and Services
Administration, CDC, and USDA. We also are supporting
farmworker organizations, including the Migrant Clinicians
Network and National Center for Farmworker Health, to
share mitigation practices and strategies to enhance dairy
worker protections and outreach. As we gather surveillance
on the scope of the outbreak, we will continue to connect
with partners on the ground to track developments and
provide any support.
H5N1 Update
Litigation
We continue to support farmworkers through impact
litigation in partnership with legal services organizations
across the country. See below our most recent cases:
Hanekom v. Kuchenbecker
A federal judge in Iowa denied Golden Opportunities
International's motion to dismiss Carel Hanekom's case, a
South African worker on an H-2A visa. Represented by Iowa
Legal Aid and Farmworker Justice, Hanekom alleges RICO
violations due to underpayment. The court found that
Hanekom’s job classification was fraudulently
misrepresented, leading to lower wages and implicating
Golden Opportunities in the scheme.
Litigation
(continued)
Colorado Livestock Association v. Polis
The Colorado Livestock Association (CLA) appealed a lower
court decision on June 26, seeking declaratory and
injunctive relief. Representing an anonymous worker,
Colorado Legal Services, Farmworker Justice, and
Farmstand argue the lower court's decision was prejudicial,
aiming for a favorable outcome in the appeals court.
Stay tuned for updates on these legal cases impacting
farmworker rights.
Save the Date...
Farmworker Justice will host its 24th Annual Legacy
Awards on September 25th, 2024 at 12:00 noon at the
historic, North Hall at Eastern Market.
This year’s Legacy Awards Luncheon will bestow Amy K.
Liebman, Migrant Clinicians Network, with the Shelley Davis
Humanitarian Award which recognizes those who have
made notable contributions to the farmworker community.
And, the Corporate Responsibility Award will be presented
to AT&T Corporate for their efforts to advance positive
change for farmworkers and their families. Additional
awardees to be confirmed.
The luncheon will also celebrate farmworkers for their work
ensuring our food supply and way of life.
F a r m w o r k e r J u s t i c e ’ s
2 4 t h A n n u a l
L e g a c y A w a r d s
S e p t e m b e r 2 5 t h , 2 0 2 4
1 2 : 0 0 N o o n
N o r t h H a l l
a t E a s t e r n M a r k e t
We are excited to welcome Lori Johnson as our new Legal
Director/Senior Attorney.
Previously, Lori was with Legal Aid of North Carolina’s
statewide Farmworker Unit (FWU), where she became
Managing Attorney in 2015, and provided high quality
representation of farmworkers on employment, health, and
immigration-related matters.
From bringing litigation to end a devastating employee
blacklist to assisting survivors of human trafficking, she
represented farmworkers in many federal and state court
cases and administrative claims. Lori also engaged in and
prioritized a community education program for farmworkers.
She had been with Legal Aid of North Carolina and its
predecessors since 1997 and is licensed to practice in North
Carolina.
A native of Wisconsin, Lori received her BA in International
Relations from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and
her JD from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston,
Massachusetts.
FJ Welcomes Lori Johnson
“For over 40 years,
farmworker legal aid
organizations and
advocates around the
country have looked to FJ
for information, resources,
and as a trusted partner. I
am delighted to join FJ and
use my decades of litigation
experience to lead the
organization’s legal team.
Together, we will continue
to work on behalf of
farmworkers and their
families”
- Lori J. Johnson, Legal
Director/Senior Attorney,
Farmworker Justice
Make sure to visit our
website to learn more
about Farmworker Justice
and our various resources
for farmworkers, advocates
and elected officials.
www.farmworkerjustice.org
