These farmworkers created America’s strongest workplace heat rules – WaPost
“These are the strongest set of workplace heat protections in the United States. They were not put in place by local, state or federal regulators, but by the workers who spent years organizing to push companies to adopt them.
“Created in 2011 by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a nonprofit that represents farmworkers, the Fair Food Program (FFP) certifies farms that follow a strict set of workplace safety rules. In exchange, participating farms are first in line to sell their wares to 14 big produce buyers that include Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and McDonald’s…
“Every year, the organization sends auditors to participating farms, where they interview at least half the workers about labor conditions. So far, organizers say they’ve done more than 30,000 interviews. Auditors also check companies’ payroll records for evidence of wage theft.
“That’s more oversight than most government regulators can manage. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which has 1,850 inspectors for 130 million U.S. workers, can’t inspect every job site every year. Last year, it conducted 34,267 inspections for the country’s 6 million employers.”
Washington employers push back on new worker heat-protection rules – Crosscut
New rules protecting farmworkers now in effect – Sunnyside Sun
113 degrees at work, failing AC at home: Farmworkers can’t escape life-threatening heat – LA Times