AgJOBS: The Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits and Security Act

What is AgJOBS?

• What is AgJOBS?
• Summary of the bill
• History of AgJOBS
• Worker Education Materials
• Comprehensive Immigration Reform

AgJOBS is a bipartisan bill that enjoys broad support in Congress. The AgJOBS compromise was carefully negotiated by the United Farm Workers and major agribusiness employers after years of intense conflict. AgJOBS is endorsed by major labor and management representatives, as well as a broad spectrum of organizations, including Latino community leaders, civil rights organizations, religious groups and farmworkers themselves.

The Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits and Security Act ("AgJOBS") represents a major compromise between farmworker advocates (led by the United Farm Workers) and major agricultural employers to address the agricultural immigration crisis.

AgJOBS would provide a legal, stable labor supply and help ensure that farmworkers are treated fairly.

The proposal contains two main parts:

(1) an "earned legalization" program enabling many undocumented farmworkers and H-2A guestworkers to earn a "blue card" temporary immigration status with the possibility of becoming permanent residents of the U.S. by continuing to work in agriculture and by meeting additional requirements; and

(2) revisions to the existing H-2A temporary foreign agricultural worker program.

On May 14, 2009, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Representatives Berman (D-CA) and Putnam (R-FL) introduced AgJOBS in the 111th Congress. The version of AgJOBS is substantially the same as previous versions.

Download the legislative language:S. 1038    H.R. 2414 

Read our statement on the reintroduction of AgJOBS

You can find a short summary of the bills here.

New York Times Editorial in support of AgJOBS: Farms and Immigrants

Help support immigraton reform for farmworkers.

1. Watch the video of UFW President Arturo Rodriguez explain their new Take Our Jobs campaign on the Colbert Report and check out the Take Our Jobs website.
2. Sign the AgJOBS pledge on the UFW website
3. Contact your members of Congress and ask them to support AgJOBS.  Contact information for your Senators can be found here and Representatives can be found here.

 

AgJOBS Worker Education Materials< Prev		Next >Summary of AgJOBS