Due to the inescapable, global crisis of the Coronavirus, the world has shifted overnight. While workers in the United States are susceptible to the effects of the pandemic, there is one particular population of workers that are the most vulnerable: undocumented farmworkers. According to the California Institute for Rural Studies, a recent study shows that agricultural workers are more likely to contract the virus and have higher death rates from COVID-19 in comparison to workers in other industries. Specifically, these communities of farmworkers come from rural counties that are populated by undocumented immigrants of Hispanic descent. In order to increase your awareness about this injustice, here are some ways the pandemic is disproportionately affecting farmworkers:
#1: Lack of Enforcement for Social Distancing Measures
Companies risk the lives of their employees through company carpools, also known as raiteros. Employees using raiteros are confined in a compact space with fellow employees, as it is their only method of transportation to work. Then, farmworkers’ lives are risked at work, since there is little to no social distancing while they work shoulder-to-shoulder on assembly lines or on the fields. From the shared water fountains to the enclosed spaces on and off the field, workers are forced to endure the uncertainty and lingering fear of becoming infected.
#2: Shortage of Personal Protective Equipment
Although some companies provide personal protective equipment (PPE), many do not provide their employees with proper gear. Instead, these companies request that workers bring their own equipment. As a result, workers often use bandanas or other fabric as masks, which do not meet the CDC’s guidelines and put the workers at risk.
#3: Companies Ask Workers to Work or Quit If Exposed to the Virus
In the documentary Frontline: “COVID’s Hidden Toll,” an anonymous employee at Taylor Farms recorded a video of their manager threatening that workers would be fired if they refused to work, despite the recent news that a coworker had contracted the virus. Farmworkers become vulnerable when employers force them to continue working in unsafe conditions, risking the workers’ health and their inability to provide for their families.
#4: Socioeconomic Factors
Many undocumented workers are the sole providers for their families, which means that missing work to quarantine is not a viable option. Within the agricultural industry on the fields, the pay usually is unlivable and low. Therefore, every paycheck counts. Since missing work could affect their families’ ability to survive, many providers continue to work even if they have been exposed to or have contracted the virus.
The disproportionate effects of the virus represent the dehumanization of undocumented farmworkers in the United States. These issues were prevalent long before COVID-19, but the pandemic only emphasizes these ever-present injustices.