A Victory for Farmworkers this Legislative Session

The following article was originally published by Community to Community in an e-newsletter sent on March 29, 2024. 

C2C farmworker representatives joined by Legislative Champions Senator Rebecca Saldaña, WSLC Government Affairs Director Sybill Hyppolite, Latino Civic Alliance Executive Director Nina Martinez and Andrea Schmitt with Columbia Legal Services in Olympia on Monday March 25 to witness and celebrate as SHB Bill 2226 was signed into law by Governor Inslee. This represents a major victory for farmworkers as we continue to track the impacts of the H-2A program on working conditions and wages in Washington State.

This victory is not only important for Farmworkers in Washington State, but serves as model legislation and inspiration for Farmworkers across the country as they continue to advocate for their self-determination, job stability, and fair wages.

What’s next for Farmworker Advocacy? 

With the legislative session wrapped up for the season we are turning our attention to the ongoing injustices in the Skagit Valley tulip and daffodil fields. The Skagit Valley Tulip festival is internationally renowned, and the largest Tulip festival in the country with over 1 million people coming from around the state and region annually. Visitors flock to Skagit Valley to enjoy the brightly colored fields and farm activities, but are they aware of the exploitation of the workers that tend to these flowers?

Despite revenue in the tens of millions, many of the flower farmers fail to address the basics for the safety and well-being of workers in the field. This includes

• Inadequate and poorly maintained restrooms- insufficient in number and with no bathrooms reserved for women.
• Using antiquated piece-rate payment calculations that keep wages low
• Scheduling shorter shifts on more days to avoid the new overtime law- making it difficult for workers to support themselves and their families

These injustices are symptoms of an unjust and unsustainable agricultural industry in Skagit Valley and Washington State. The Farmworkers Movement is the front line fighting to improve the conditions not just in the tulip and daffodil fields, but in all industrial agricultural production across the state. 

This is why the work of Community to Community Development and Familias Unidas Por La Justicia is critical- join us to stop the current exploitation and in building a just and resilient food system for all in Washington State.

We need your support:

• • Donate to advance farmworker advocacy and self-determination
  • Join farmworkers and their supporters in La Marcha Campesina on Sunday April 21 as they demand justice in the tulip fields of Skagit Valley

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