Page 7 - Dan Waldvogle News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

The agriculture industry this week won only minor concessions from the sponsors of a bill that intends to grant farmworkers some of the same labor protections available to non-farmworkers. After a debate stretching more than five hours Friday, the House gave Senate Bill 87 preliminary approval. SB 87 has been the biggest challenge for the industry, already struggling to recover from the pandemic and the Trump trade war, in the 2021 session, opponents said. The bill grants farmworkers the right to join labor unions, engage in collective bargaining and strike. It removes the longtime exemption ...

Democrats in the Colorado Legislature are pushing a bill that would enhance protections for agricultural workers, a category that doesn't have many of the same employee rights as other industries. "Instead of being grateful to them, we treat them as being expendable. If you break, no problem, we’ll replace you," says Angeles Mendez, regional organizer for the Western Slope for Project Protect Food Systems, a Colorado organization dedicated to ensuring that agricultural workers are protected while they work. "At what point will we start treating people like people, like humans, instead of mo...