Latest news with #PacificTomatoGrowers
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Protections for farmworkers discussing work conditions headed to governor's desk
Workers pick tomatoes at a farm owned and operated by Pacific Tomato Growers on February 19, 2021 in Immokalee, Florida. (Photo by) In addition to the right to minimum wage, agricultural workers in Maine may soon be protected from retaliation for talking about work conditions. On Thursday, the Maine Senate cast a final enactment vote for LD 588, which would give agricultural employees the right to engage in certain concerted activity, which includes talking about wages, working conditions and other employment matters with other employees or the employer. The House of Representatives initially rejected the bill, but narrowly decided Wednesday to change course and join the upper chamber in passing the measure. It now goes to Gov. Janet Mills for final approval. Opponents argued the bill is unnecessary and opens the door to unionization, which they said would be difficult for the agricultural industry given the seasonal nature of the work and other nuances. Sen. Scott Cyrway (R-Kennebec) said the proposal 'just puts another layer of difficulty for farmers.' However, Rep. Amy Roeder (D-Bangor), who co-chairs the Labor Committee, said the bill only asks for 'this very baseline concerted activity because we know unionization poses a lot of challenges.' Earlier this week, the chambers also approved legislation that would give farmworkers the right to state minimum wage. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Committee backs ag worker minimum wage bill that mirrors Mills' proposal last year
Workers pick tomatoes at a farm owned and operated by Pacific Tomato Growers on February 19, 2021 in Immokalee, Florida. (Photo by) Lawmakers have endorsed a bill this session that would grant farmworkers in Maine the right to minimum wage and has the potential to finally make it off the governor's desk. The Legislature's Labor Committee voted 6-1 with multiple members absent to endorse LD 589, which would give agricultural workers the right to state minimum wage and mirrors the proposal Gov. Janet Mills put forward last session. Before committee members broke to caucus ahead of the vote, Senate co-chair Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot) said, 'This is the closest we have come and I hope we're in a good place here to finally pass a basic minimum wage for agricultural workers.' There were two bills before the committee this session seeking to guarantee farmworkers the right to state minimum wage, since they are currently excluded from the section of law that provides a wage floor and overtime protections. Legally, they are only entitled to the $7.25 federal minimum wage; however, many farm owners say they pay workers even more than Maine's minimum wage of $14.65 an hour. Earlier this session, the Labor Committee also supported a bill that would allow agricultural employees to talk about wages, working conditions and other employment matters with other employees or the employer. That bill has received initial approval from the Senate, but was tabled in the House of Representatives Tuesday, pending a vote. Farmworker rights have been an ongoing discussion in the state as Mills has vetoed multiple pieces of legislation over her tenure seeking to secure labor protections, including her own bill last session. She said she could no longer support that proposal after the committee reworked the bill to allow farmworkers to bring their own private action against employers for violations. House co-chair Rep. Amy Roeder (D-Bangor) said Tuesday that as a self-described 'idealist,' the legislation doesn't go as far as she would have liked, though ultimately supported the bill. 'I realize in legislation that we have to crawl before we can walk sometimes, but we've been crawling for an awful long time,' Roeder said. When introducing LD 357 this session, Sen. Rick Bennett (R-Oxford) said he was appalled by the governor's actions last year. His bill was identical to the one the Labor Committee supported last year, but this time bolstered with a Republican as the lead sponsor. Though the committee voted unanimously not to support Bennett's bill, Tipping thanked him for following the committee's work last session by introducing this measure. Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Cumberland) originally took a different approach from Bennett with LD 589, which initially removed language that exempted farmworkers from current statute, rather than create a new section of law. However, this was a sticking point for the agricultural industry who worried that any future changes to that section of law could overlook the unique qualities of farming. After amending LD 589 to address those concerns, the proposals had just two key differences. The legislation from Talbot Ross does not include a private right of action, leaving it up to the Department of Labor and the Office of the Maine Attorney General to handle any wage violations. Additionally, the amended version of LD 589 includes language clarifying that the changes that would result from this legislation could not be construed to mean that agricultural workers were losing any existing rights. Tipping highlighted this language before casting his vote in support of the bill, saying that he interprets it to mean that farmworkers won't lose their right to bring private action against an employer for other violations, such as not being paid any wages. Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman said that based on conversations she has had with the governor, Mills seems to be on board with the amended version of LD 589. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP jostles for power while devising more ways to punish migrants
Workers pick tomatoes at a farm owned and operated by Pacific Tomato Growers on February 19, 2021, in Immokalee. (Photo by) Gov. Ron DeSantis and his abettors in the Legislature have been at each other's throats, trying to see who can summon up the most repulsive legislation to further punish undocumented immigrants in the Sunshine State and shamelessly take credit for it. They've settled on a common approach now, but DeSantis was steaming after House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton ignored his instruction for them to meet in special session to pass a migrant crackdown. They convened as ordered but promptly adjourned without acting and gaveled in their own session, passing their own version. '… In a big about-face, the Legislature shifted authority over state-level immigration enforcement from the governor to the commissioner of agriculture, which is currently held by Wilton Simpson, a Trilby Republican,' as the Florida USA Today Network put it. In a new special session that began on Tuesday, the governor and legislative leaders agreed to accept many of the Legislature's proposals, including money to hire new law enforcement officers and bonuses for those who help federal enforcement officers, adding a provision making it a crime to enter Florida without the legal documents. Additionally, the Florida Cabinet, comprising independently elected state officials — the state attorney general, chief financial officer, and agriculture commissioner — will together supervise immigration enforcement. Will that make the bad blood go away? Miffed at the Legislature's original plan, DeSantis had, for days, bitterly denounced his antagonists. On social media, he beat up Simpson, saying he has 'voted to give drivers licenses and in-state tuition to illegals.' He also took to national conservative media outlets to blast Simpson, as well as Albritton and Perez. And in a post on X and elsewhere DeSantis said he intends to unleash the financial power of the Florida Freedom Fund, a political committee he used in 2024 to grease the wheels in ways that helped spread lies and disinformation leading to the defeat of constitutional amendments on abortion rights and recreational marijuana. Both sides are working overtime to sidle up to '47' — bend the knee and secure his blessing for the most inhumane and odious laws in an effort to show how tough on immigration these people are. This activity comes against the backdrop of a dizzying array of actions against undocumented immigrants locally and nationally. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has dramatically stepped up arrests and detentions all over Florida, including Miramar, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami plus Escambia, Indian River, Leon, and Santa Rosa counties. Despite Donald Trump publicly calling for Dreamers to be protected during these immigration sweeps, legislators have added uncertainty for these young people — about 6,000 in number — by trying to more than triple the tuition they pay to attend a Florida public college or university. Nationally, allies of Trump are deeply involved in speeding up asylum hearings, rolling back eligibility to remain here, and removing a raft of deportation protections implemented by President Joe Biden. Outside of the sheer malice and vindictiveness of DeSantis and the Legislature, their heartlessness towards undocumented immigrants will have far-reaching economic consequences across the state. It's aggravating to see Florida Republicans being so bearish on an issue that continues to damage the state's agriculture, construction, and hospitality industries. When DeSantis engineered a draconian bill targeting immigrants in 2023, farm owners and migrant activists agreed the effects of the law were immediate. Families who had worked in Florida for 20 years and more voted with their feet and fled the state. Severe labor shortages meant fruits and vegetables went unpicked and rotting, with prices ratcheting upwards. According to the Florida Policy Institute, the 2023 immigration law could cost the state economy as much as $12.6 billion in its first year. Mari Marks, advocacy and policy manager for the Council on American-Islamic Relations Florida chapter, outlined how much the state depends on immigrant labor in a column for the Tallahassee Democrat. 'The Florida economy depends on workers in the agriculture, service and hospitality sectors. The Migration Policy Institute reports there is an estimated 455,000 undocumented immigrants working in Florida, who are currently employed,' Marks wrote. 'What would happen if these workers suddenly disappeared out of our workforce? I'll tell you. A state that prides themselves on tourism would be in serious jeopardy. These jobs are not being stolen by undocumented workers; they are holes being filled in our society, jobs most Americans would not dream of taking.' A favorite, yet tired, canard that American tax dollars are unfairly being taken to pay for the livelihoods of these asylees and undocumented workers Marks characterizes as a lie. 'The new inconvenient truth is that they play a significant role in the success of this country,' she wrote. In 2022, Marks added (citing the American Immigration Council), 747,000 documented and undocumented immigrants paid an estimated $1.8 billion in local and state taxes, contributing $27 billion in consumer spending. In addition, these human beings 'are shopping in your stores, eating in your restaurants, renting houses from you, buying cars, buying gas, paying out of pocket for medical appointments, braces for their children, attending shows, movies, concerts, playing sports with your kids, shopping at your grocery stores, worshipping and paying tithes in your churches, getting haircuts. … The list goes on and on,' Marks wrote. Despite being scapegoated by DeSantis, immigrants in Florida have contributed tens of billions of dollars in taxes. For example, immigrant-led households in the state paid $23.2 billion in federal taxes and $8.5 billion in state and local taxes in 2018. In addition, in 2018, undocumented immigrants in Florida paid an estimated $1.3 billion in federal taxes and $588.3 million in state and local taxes, according to the American Immigration Council. Marks and other observers warn that Florida is already in trouble and it's about to get considerably worse. 'This state is not in trouble because of undocumented human beings who give their all to our society, it is because politicians who ignore the real needs and crises, in favor of political stunts,' she concluded. Even as lawmakers poison the water for those seeking solace in Florida, activists and advocates who see the train hurtling towards chaos have questions: Who will plant and harvest, wash clothes, cut lawns, clean hotels, help raise children? What will happen to the next generation of lawyers, doctors, and professionals? How will the state fill the labor gap and replace the money lost? SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
