Farm Worker Law
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Attorneys
Paralegals
| Name | Office |
| Daniel Chapman | Nashville - SMLS |
| Carmen Dominguez | El Paso |
| Sylvia Gardea | El Paso |
| Graciela Melve | Laredo Migrant |
| Roman Ramos | Laredo Migrant |
| Alcario Samudio | Weslaco |
| Jose Torres | Weslaco |
Federal Laws
- Agriculture Law: An Overviewprovides access to relevant federal and state statutes, regulations, and court decisions. Courtesy of the Cornell Legal Information Institute
- Agricultural Worker Protection Act (AWPA)the main act providing basic employment protections to farm workers
- Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938concerns minimum wage and overtime pay
- H-2A Program for the Employment of Temporary Alien Agricultural Workers
- Federal Agricultural Worker Protection Standard of 1992 (in Adobe Acrobat) offers protections to farm workers working with pesticides
State Laws
- Texas Agriculture Code
- Texas Administrative Code Title 4, Agriculture
- Agricultural Hazard Communications Regulations
Federal Agencies
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
- Agricultural Centers Homepagethe centers conduct research and education to improve agricultural health and safety
- National Ag Safety Databasedatabase of materials devoted to improving health and safety and preventing injuries
- ToxFAQsprovide information about the health effects of hazardous substances
- Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Agricultural Labor AffairsUSDA resources for agricultural workers and employers
- Farm Labor Rules and Regulationsa comprehensive guide
- H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program
- EPA Worker Protection Standardssite includes extensive pesticide-related links
- Economic Research Serviceprovides economic research and analysis. Includes production figures for specific crops
- National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)source for agriculture-related facts and figures, including state crop and weather reports
- Rural Housing Service
- Department of Education
- Office of Migrant Educationadministers the High School Equivalency Program (HEP), the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), and other programs
- Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers Programadministers vocational rehabilitation programs for farm workers with disabilities
- Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
- Administration for Children and Families (ACF)administers the Migrant Head Start program
- Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) Federal Migrant Health Programprovides grants to health clinics serving farm workers
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) Chemical Health & Safety Datasearchable database of information on over 2000 chemicals
- Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- HUD Resources for Farmworkers and Colonia Communitiesa guide to all of HUD’s programs serving farm workers
- Department of Labor (DOL)
- Wage and Hour Divisionenforces laws concerning minimum wage, overtime, child labor, and record keeping. Site provides access to state labor laws and a list of ineligible farm labor contractors
- Employment and Training Administration (ETA) coordinates workforce training and job placement
- Division of Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Programsprovides job training and employment services to farm workers and their families
- Statistics and Dataprovides access to OSHA inspection reports and manuals
- Hazard Communication Programprovides hazard communication guidelines and links to chemical labels and MSDS databases
- The Worker’s Pageprovides information about workers’ and employers’ rights and responsibilities, workplace dangers, and how to file a complaint about workplace hazards
- DOL Poster Pagefeatures downloadable copies of all required DOL posters
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP)protects public health from the risks posed by pesticides
- Pesticide Data Sourcesa guide to online sources of information about pesticide products registered in the U.S. and their affects on human health
- Worker Protection Standardprovides extensive information and links
- Social Security Administration (SSA)
- If You Are a Farmworker: Your Wage Record Book and Guide to Social Security English/Spanish guide to Social Security regulations important to farmworkers. In Adobe Acrobat
State Agencies
- Texas Department of Agriculturethe state’s lead agency for pesticide regulation
- Pesticide Informationincludes access to state pesticide laws and regulations, an index of all TDA pesticide programs, and extensive pesticide links
- Texas A&M Agricultural Extension Servicesprovides outreach and education concerning agriculture and other topics
- Texas A&M University
- AgriNetprovides a single access point to all agricultural resources on the web
- Texas Agricultural Statistics Serviceprovides crop and weather reports and data concerning all aspects of agriculture in Texas
- Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission (TNRCC)
- Texas Workers Compensation Commission (TWCC)
Legal Resources
- American Agricultural Law Association
- Farmworker Justice Fundnational advocacy organization providing policy analysis, training, and technical assistance on farm worker employment and health issues
- California Rural Legal Aid, Inc.
- California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
- Farmworker Legal Services of New York, Inc.
- Friends of Farmworkers
- Michigan Legal Assistance Network Farmworker Legal Services
- National Employment Law Project
- Northwest Justice Project
Farm Labor Research and Statistics
- DOL National Agricultural Workers Surveythe only national source of info on the demographics and working conditions of U.S. farmworkers
- DOL Profile of U.S. Farm Workersreport on demographics, household composition, income, and use of services. From 1997
- USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
- U.S. Farm Labor Chartsincludes data on farm workers, wage rates, and numbers of farms
- National Clearinghouse on Agricultural Guest Worker Issuesprovides news and legislative updates on the H-2A program. Courtesy of the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
Agricultural Research and Statistics
- Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC)federal inter-agency network providing access to a very wide array of agricultural info
- Agriculture Research Service (ARS)principal research agency of the USDA. Includes crop profiles and access to the National Agricultural Library (NAL)
- National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)USDA source for agricultural facts and figures
- AgriSurfthe world’s largest searchable agricultural internet index
- USDA Agriculture Fact Book, 1998comprehensive report on U.S. agricultural production and USDA activities. The 2000 Fact Book is available for $19
- National Ag Safety Databasedevoted to increased safety, health, and injury prevention in agriculture. A service of the CDC
- Spanish Agricultural Dictionarycourtesy of the University of California
Pesticide Information, Chemical Labels, and Material Data Safety Sheets (MSDSs)
- The Chemical Industry Home Pageprovides access to labels and MSDSs from many chemical companies
- EPA Office of Pesticide Programs Pesticide Data Sourcesa guide to online sources of information about pesticide products registered in the U.S. and their affects on human health
- California Department of Pesticide Regulationoffers chemical registration and ingredients information, chemical label and MSDS databases, and other resources. Co-sponsored by the OPP
- EXTOXNET- The Extension TOXicology NETworkprovides a wide range of information about pesticides and pesticide products, including toxicology information and links to manufacturers. Sponsored by Oregon State University in cooperation with UC-Davis, Michigan State University, and Cornell
- National Pesticide Telecommunications Network, 1-800-858-7378 provides science-based information on a variety of pesticide topics. Co-sponsored by Oregon State University and the EPA
- Pesticide.net (formerly Pestlaw Online)list of pesticide-related documents maintained by the law firm of Wright & Sielaty and consultants at ChemReg International. Access to many resources requires a paid subscription
- Natural Resources Defense Council Pesticide Pageprovides information and reports concerning the health and safety dangers of pesticides
Health & Safety
- Agricultural Ergonomics Research Center at UC-Davisprovides research and information concerning ergonomics in agricultural work
- Agricultural Health and Safety Center at UC-Davisconducts research and outreach to improve the safety and health of farmers, farm workers, and consumers
- Farmworker Justice Fund Information on Occupational Health and Safety
- National Center for Farmworker Healthprovides a range of services to improve farm worker health
- Migrant Health Referral Directorydatabase of all migrant and community health centers providing services to farmworkers
- Call for Health , 1-800-377-9968 national hotlineproviding information on health services for farmworkers. Operates from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., CST
- Migrant Clinicans Networknational network of health care providers serving farm workers and other underserved mobile populations
- Migrant Health Promotionprovides education and advocacy concerning farm worker health
- National Safety Council
- Agriculture Divisionincludes fact sheets about agricultural safety
Education
- National Migrant Education Hotline , 1-800-234-8848 provides information about migrant education and social services programs in each state
- MET (Motivation, Education, and Training, Inc.)administers free job training to farm workers seeking non-agricultural employment
- University of Texas Migrant Students Program
Unions
- Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC)
- Sin Fronteras/Union de Trabajadores Agricolas Fronterizasunion active in West Texas, Southern New Mexico, and North Chihuahua
- United Farm Workers Union, AFL-CIO website provides news and information concerning all aspects of farm worker employment
Advocacy Organizations
- Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP)a coalition of organizations working to improve the quality of life of farm workers
- Catholic Migrant Farmworker Networknational network dedicated to pastoral ministry among migrant and seasonal farmworkers
- National Center for Farmworker Healthprovides a range of services to improve farm worker health
- National Council of La Razathe nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights organization
- Student Action with Farmworkersnetwork of campus-based projects focusing on farm worker issues
Migrant Housing
- HUD Resources for Farmworkers and Colonias Communitiesa guide to all of HUD’s programs serving farm workers
News
- Agricultural Outlookpublished ten times per year by the USDA Economic Research Service
- Borderlines Magazinemonthly bulletin providing analysis of US-Mexico border issues. Each issue focuses on a single topic
- Farmworker issuefrom 1998
- Rural Migration Newsquarterly magazine summarizing developments in immigration, farm work, and rural life
- Farm Journal Todayprovides daily agricultural news and market outlooks
Other Helpful Sites
- American Society of Trial Consultantsfind ASTC members nationwide. Site provides contact information, areas of expertise and a link to the consultant’s Web site , if available
- Chilling Effectssite devoted to the legal protection of online speech; addresses topics including fan fiction, copyright and trademark, linking, parody and criticism.
- LegalVote.comsite allows a virtual jury to weigh in on a case after reviewing a summary prepared by the lawyer
- Internet Tools for Lawyershelpful site containing articles, links, how-to guides
- Skipeasesearch tool to find people quickly; research property ownership, Social Security numbers: death, birth and marriage records, professional licenses, etc.
- LexisONEfree court opinions, legal forms
- The Religious Liberty Archivevirtual library of religious freedom law, containing full texts of pertinent U.S. Supreme Court cases since 1815, federal and state laws, treatises, historical materials, news of recent developments and links to related materials.
- Trial Lawyers for Public Justicecurrent descriptions of the TLPJ caseload and a library of its briefs and filings, links to more than 2,000 web resources
- Legal Writing Successweb-based service that connects to a network of lawyers available to perform research, writing, rewriting and editing.