U.S. Department of Labor Farmworker Programs
Career Services. Through 56 public and private-nonprofit grantees, the U.S. Department of Labor provides career services to migrant and seasonal farmworkers in all states (except Alaska) and in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Most of the available funds for the National Farmworker Jobs Program, as it's commonly known, are invested in helping farmworkers obtain and retain permanent, year-round jobs, both within and outside agriculture. The centerpiece of the program is job training and supportive services that successfully redirect participants into new careers or stabilize their current agricultural employment.
At one stage or another of the service delivery process, NFJP program operators routinely encounter farmworkers faced with many of the workplace challenges addressed by the laws cataloged on this website — unpaid wages, unsafe or unsanitary working conditions, denial of employee benefits, and others. Helping connect workers with enforcement agencies and legal resources to resolve these kinds of complaints is a key element of the program in many areas, within the scope of “related assistance” allowable under NFJP regulations.
At one stage or another of the service delivery process, NFJP program operators routinely encounter farmworkers faced with many of the workplace challenges addressed by the laws cataloged on this website — unpaid wages, unsafe or unsanitary working conditions, denial of employee benefits, and others. Helping connect workers with enforcement agencies and legal resources to resolve these kinds of complaints is a key element of the program in many areas, within the scope of “related assistance” allowable under NFJP regulations.
Farmworker Housing Services. In addition to job training and employment stabilization support, the Labor Department also provides funding to 11 nonprofit organizations for the development of permanent and temporary housing facilities for migrant and seasonal farmworkers in 31 states and Puerto Rico. The program addresses the need for both single- and multi-family housing, both in the workers' home communities and at their temporary work locations.
Agricultural Worker Legal Assistance Projects
In 1974, Congress created the Legal Services Corporation to assist local programs offering free legal services to low-income people. LSC currently provides funding to organizations in 43 states and Puerto Rico to help resolve some of the special legal problems experienced by the nation's agricultural workers. Although these funds cannot be used to represent workers in criminal matters, or individuals who are not authorized to work in the United States, most of the agricultural worker legal assistance projects can handle employment-related cases involving many of the rights mentioned on this site. Click below for a directory of the headquarters offices of the current program operators.
State Monitor Advocates
Under U.S. Department of Labor regulations, farmworkers can report any job-related problem to any career center or local office of the state workforce agency, which must offer to take the complaint in writing. A complaint may be against an employer to whom the worker was referred by the agency, or it may involve services provided by the agency's local offices, but it generally must be filed within 2 years after the alleged violation or incident occurred. In general, if the matter involves an employer to whom the worker was referred by the employment service, the local office must try to resolve the complaint to the worker's satisfaction within 5 working days. Other types of employment problems must be referred by the local office to the proper enforcement agency immediately.
Instead of going through a local employment office, workers may choose to submit any employment-related complaint to the workforce agency's state office. Every complaint received at the state level must generally be resolved within 20 working days of the date of receipt, or be sent to the responsible enforcement agency. As a rule, if the matter is not settled within the 20-day limit, the state office must provide the worker with a written explanation and advise the worker of the right to a hearing.
The workforce agency official responsible for handling farmworker complaints in each state is the State Monitor Advocate, usually located in the headquarters office. Click below for the address and telephone number of the Monitor Advocate in your state.
Instead of going through a local employment office, workers may choose to submit any employment-related complaint to the workforce agency's state office. Every complaint received at the state level must generally be resolved within 20 working days of the date of receipt, or be sent to the responsible enforcement agency. As a rule, if the matter is not settled within the 20-day limit, the state office must provide the worker with a written explanation and advise the worker of the right to a hearing.
The workforce agency official responsible for handling farmworker complaints in each state is the State Monitor Advocate, usually located in the headquarters office. Click below for the address and telephone number of the Monitor Advocate in your state.