During National Farm Safety and Health Week, California reaffirms its commitment to farmworkers

This week, the Labor & Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) joins the nation in observing National Farm Safety and Health Week, a tradition dating back to 1944 when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt first proclaimed it to acknowledge the role of agriculture in Americans’ daily lives and the hazardous nature of the industry that sustains the country.

“Farmworkers feed California and the nation. During Governor Newsom’s tenure, our state has taken practical, worker-centered steps to strengthen organizing rights, expand paid leave, enforce heat and smoke protections, and better inform farmworkers of their rights which apply regardless of immigration status,” said Stewart Knox, Secretary of the Labor & Workforce Development Agency. “These actions reflect the Governor’s commitment to dignity, safety, and economic security for farmworkers and their families.”

Farmworkers are a part of California’s story and identity. From Northern to Southern California, including the Imperial Valley and Central Valley in between, the people who plant, harvest, and process food for the nation and the world are an essential part of the state’s economy and culture.

New Law Expands Wage Protections

In July, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 846, strengthening protections for farmworkers. The new law modernizes a nearly 50-year-old farmworker lien statute by removing an old restriction that applied only to farms owned as limited partnerships. Under the new law, which takes effect on January 1, 2026, farmworkers will be able to recoup up to two weeks of unpaid wages. The change aims to reduce wage theft and provide farmworkers with a practical tool for reclaiming owed wages.

Ensuring Access to Critical Protections

In response to the tragic shooting of farmworkers at Half Moon Bay in 2023, Secretary Knox instructed LWDA to develop and launch the Rural Strategic Engagement Plan (RSEP) to better serve farmworkers through improved intra-agency coordination and innovated service delivery.

The state invested $30 million dollars to fund RSEP over three years. The Agricultural Labor Relations Board received RSEP funding to develop a cross-training curriculum for all LWDA staff that serve farmworkers, strengthening joint enforcement efforts, and improving data sharing and referral systems together with Department of Industrial Relations (DIR)  and Employment Development Department staff to improve the workers experience with the state by ensuring that workers can access all LWDA services regardless of which agency they contact first.

This month, LWDA held the first of these RSEP cross-trainings to educate over 200 field staff from the Agency’s departments, boards, and panels.

Additionally, DIR has funded seven organizations that will host informational clinics in farmworker communities where workers can directly access all departments and services under LWDA. This effort builds on the Labor Commissioner’s Office innovative and successful partnerships with organizations that serve farmworkers throughout the state.

Education and Safety

California launched the Statewide Agriculture and Farmworker Education (SAFE) Program, collaborating with the UC Davis Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety to bring information and guidance to workers and employers. Through SAFE and the California Workplace Outreach Project (CWOP), the state has invested over $30 million dollars in organizations that conduct outreach directly to agricultural workers and employers.

“With the support of the LWDA, SAFE has been able to directly engage with more than 1.4 million farmworkers, employers, and CBOs across California since 2020,” said Heather Riden, Program Director for the SAFE Program at the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety, UC Davis. “This funding has been essential in allowing us to provide trainings, outreach, and resources—including Campo Seguro, a multilingual website specifically developed to support farmworkers with clear, accessible information on workplace safety and labor protections. SAFE helps workers understand their rights and stay safe on the job, while supporting employers and local organizations to create safer, more informed workplaces. Together, these efforts make a tangible difference in communities across the state.”

“Ha sido muy crucial tener el apoyo de LWDA durante estos 5 años, empezando en 2020 con el covid-19,” said Juvenal Solano, Director of Community Organizing, Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project. “Gracias a este apoyo hemos podido alcanzar a miles de trabajadores agrícolas indígenas en la costa central de California para informarles sobre sus derechos laborales y de salud. Programas como estos son vitales para que nuestra comunidad trabajadora agrícola salga de la sombra y pueda exigir el respeto y derecho que merecen como seres humanos.”

Strengthening Workplace Protections

California has led the nation with the strongest workplace protections for agricultural workers, including:

• Multilingual Cal/OSHA outreach and enforcement to reach workers directly in their communities, including the launch of a new Agricultural Enforcement Taskforce and Outreach Unit focused on enforcement, proactive inspections, outreach to workers and community collaboration.
• Indoor and outdoor heat-illness prevention standards.
• Wildfire smoke standards that require N95 respirators during hazardous air conditions.

These protections reflect the state’s commitment to ensuring labor protections support all workers.

The state has also ensured farmworkers can take time to recover or care for family without risking their livelihood:

• Five days of guaranteed paid sick leave for all workers.
• Emergency leave rights during wildfire smoke, extreme heat, or flooding.
• Expanded Paid Family Leave, providing up to 90% wage replacement for workers earning less than $63,000 per year.
• Access to sick leave when environmental conditions such as heat, wildfire smoke, or flooding trigger a local or state emergency. Employers are prohibited from denying these sick days.

Expanding Career Pathways and Worker Voice

California invested $26 million through the Employment Development Department and the Employment Training Panel to train farmworkers with the essential skills they need to pursue upward mobility and higher wages.

The state has taken pride in strengthening the voice and rights of farmworkers, providing clearer and safer pathways for union representation to empower more farmworkers to advocate for their wellbeing on the job.

As the nation observes National Farm Safety and Health Week, California will continue to lead with pride in ensuring that the people who sustain the nation’s food system are safe, respected, and supported.