WHAT IS FARMWORKER
AWARENESS WEEK?
National Farmworker Awareness Week (NFAW) is a week of action for communities and individuals to bring attention to farmworkers and honor them for the contributions they make to our daily lives.
Why do we celebrate National Farmworker Awareness Week?
Farmworkers feed the world- 85% of our fresh fruits and vegetables are handpicked. There are an estimated 2.5-3 million men, women, and children who work in the fields in the United States. Farms are in every state, including yours, yet farmworkers remain largely invisible and continue to live and work in horrific conditions. We demand dignity for farmworkers!
Farm work is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. The people who plant and harvest our fruits and vegetables suffer from the highest rate of toxic chemical injuries of any other workers in the nation and have higher incidences of heat stress, dermatitis, urinary tract infections, parasitic infections, and tuberculosis than other wage-earners. We demand safe working conditions for farmworkers!
Farmworkers are treated differently under the law. Overtime, unemployment insurance, and even protection when joining a union are not guaranteed under federal law. Farmworkers were excluded from almost all major federal laws passed in the 1930s. The Fair Labor Standards Act was amended in 1978 to mandate minimum wage for farmworkers on large farms only and it still has not made provisions for overtime. We demand just living and working conditions for farmworkers and an end to unfair treatment under the law.
WHAT IS THE NAT’L
LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT DRIVE?
As part of NFAW’s week of action, AFOP will host its annual National Long Sleeve Shirt Drive in multiple states.
→ When? March 23-31, 2025
→ Where? In many states. Scroll down to find the nearest drop-off location to you!
→ How are they distributed? They will be distributed among the farmworker community through AFOP’s network.
WHY A LONG-SLEEVE
SHIRT?
Our nation’s 2.5 million farmworkers face long hours of arduous work putting their health and safety at risk due to exposure to dangerous pesticides and heat stress. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency indicates that over 20,000 cases of doctor-diagnosed pesticide poisoning are reported yearly.
A gently used long-sleeve shirt that is light colored and natural fabric can help prevent exposure to pesticide residues and prevent suffering a heat-related illness.
