AgJOBS Action
Status
AgJOBS MAINTAINED IN FINAL SENATE BILL: The Senate passed its Immigration Bill on Thursday, May 25, 2006, with the AgJOBS reforms intact. This is an important victory for farmworkers! It did not come easily, as Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) proposed two amendments to the bill, both of which were defeated. The first proposal would have slashed wage protections for agricultural workers, but was defeated by a vote of 50 to 43. The second amendment sought to severely limit the earned legalization program for farmworkers. It was defeated 62 to 24.
Over 25 national, state and local organizations signed on to the Rural Coalition letter. We worked in conjunction with the Farmworker Justice Fund to fax the letter and signatures to a targeted list of swing votes in the Senate.
Letter to the Senate
May 18, 2006
Dear Senator,
As organizations of small farmers and farm workers concerned about the future of our rural communities, we the undersigned urge your support of the "AgJOBS" legislation found in Sections 611 - 619 of S.2611, the Hagel-Martinez Compromise on immigration currently being debated in the Senate.
The "AgJOBS" reforms are bipartisan, comprehensive and widely supported by both farmworker groups and agricultural businesses. We ask that they be retained in any final bill the Senate passes. Senator Chambliss of Georgia plans to submit amendments that would limit or eliminate two of the most important reforms contained in the AgJOBS provisions. First, he may seek to eliminate the earned adjustment provision, which allows agricultural workers to apply for residency by committing to five years of future agricultural work and the payment of a fine. While some parties opposed to the bill claim that it represents an amnesty, it is in fact a program through which workers legally and ethically earn their citizenship through years of productive work in the agricultural labor force.
Second, Senator Chambliss may attempt to abolish the adverse effect wage rate. This would diminish wage rates currently in place under the H-2A program and redefine the "prevailing wage," effectively opening the door for employers to pay their workers well below the federal minimum wage. We are concerned that removing this protection will drive down wages for both foreign born and American agricultural workers.
We support the reforms contained in the current version of AgJOBS. We request that you protect these long-awaited and carefully negotiated provisions by voting against amendments by Senator Chambliss or others that do not receive clear support of the Ag Jobs bill sponsors, Senators Larry Craig and Dianne Feinstein.
As you vote on the larger immigration package, we further urge you to work for a package that is closest to the McCain- Kennedy package as passed by the Judiciary Committee.
Sincerely,
Rural Coalition/Coalición Rural, Washington DC
National Family Farm Coalition, Washington DC
Missouri Rural Crisis Center, Columbia, MO
Grassroots International, Boston, MA
United for Justice with Peace, Medford, MA
Sisters of St. Francis, Tiffin, Ohio
USDA Chapter of the Hispanic Organizations Leadership Alliance, Alexandria, VA
Presbyterian Church USA, Washington DC
Partners in Ending Hunger, Portland, ME
Hispanic Organizations Leadership Alliance (HOLA), Takoma Park, MA
California Institute for Rural Studies, Davis, CA
Community Food Security Coalition, Washington, DC
California Food and Justice Coalition, Venice, CA
League of Rural Voters, Minneapolis, MN
National Farm Worker Ministry, St. Louis, MO
Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns, Washington DC
Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund - Atlanta, GA and Epes, AL
Rural Advancement Fund - Orangeburg, SC
Border Agricultural Workers Project - El Paso, TX
National Association of Latino Farmers and Ranchers, Washington, DC
Oxfam America, Boston, MA
North American Farm Alliance - Windsor, OH
Markham Center - Montpelier, VT
Land Loss Prevention Project - Durham, NC
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