Recommendations for Program Improvement - Agriculture Forestry and Fishing Research at NIOSH - page 196

The industry-backed “Agricultural Jobs” proposal, supported by the United
Farm Workers of America and other advocates, will be introduced as a separate,
stand-alone legislative proposal. The outcome of the legislation, which is uncertain
at this writing, will largely determine who will be hired to work on American farms
in the future. The proposed language specifically addresses housing needs of im-
migrant contract workers, and this aspect has implications for where workers will
reside—in on-farm housing subject to federal regulation or, with vouchers, in any
type of housing, including informal dwellings not subject to inspection by health
authorities. Workers who live in on-farm housing can be subject to harassment and
coercion to work unpaid overtime; but at the same time the preferred options of
affordable private market, non-profit, and government-sponsored program hous-
ing is shrinking. In addition, most housing provided by non-profit organizations or
public agencies is family housing, and is unavailable to groups of unaccompanied
men.
Trade Policies
Trade issues are of paramount importance to the AFF sector because of AFF
commodity import and export. Trade agreements potentially can function as eco-
nomic drivers for change, which could influence production capacity in the AFF
sector and influence exposure of domestic workers and those outside the United
States. The impact is already being felt in the sugar cane and sugar beet industries of
the Deep South and far North, respectively; other impacts are seen in commodities
as diverse as cotton and tuna. In the agricultural sector, another development adds
complexity to the trade issue: genetically engineered organisms. Whole agricultural
enterprises, such as rice and cotton production, have experienced savage swings in
demand as countries have responded to reports of genetic shift in non-target crops,
which have resulted in dramatic shifts in worker employment and exposure.
SUMMARY
The AFF Program plays a positive and crucial role in providing informa-
tion and tools to promote a safer and healthier work environment in agriculture,
forestry, and fishing. The committee hopes that its recommendations will help
refocus and redirect program efforts, thereby enhancing the program's impact on
the safety and health of all populations at occupational risk in agriculture, forestry,
and fishing.