Addressing worker and immigrants rights in the food system is a key step in advancing food justice. Many of the jobs in the food system, from farming to preparation and serving-related jobs, are carried out by immigrant labor. Consequently, these tend to be the most underpaid and under-protected workers.
Unions, Labor, Immigration, and Food Justice:
Colorado's Agricultural Workers’ Rights bill, SB21-087, was passed in 2021. This bill recognizes agricultural workers' rights to organize and engage in labor unions, rights to overtime pay, rights to meal breaks and rest periods, and more. CSU conducted a survey to better understand the impacts of this bill.
This bill is necessary because farmworkers were excluded from the protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.