…beneath this facade lies a harsh reality of precarious work and exploitative labor practices for Michigan’s farmworkers, who are often invisible to people who enjoy the fruits of their labors, according to the Michigan Farmworker Project’s ongoing research…

In 2019, we launched the Michigan Farmworker Project as an academic collaboration with community and state organizations. The goal of the project is to increase understanding of the social, labor and housing situation of farmworkers in the state…

[Farmworkers] labor is critical to maintaining the state’s robust US$104.7 billion annual agricultural economy. Yet their presence and essential contributions often go unnoticed by many Michiganders and policymakers…

Various pieces of federal and state legislation have excluded or provided minimal labor protections for farmworkers, including the National Labor Relations Act…Michigan law also lacks labor organizing protections for farmworkers…

Farmworkers lack overtime compensation, sick leave and holidays, and many do not have access to social benefits like Medicaid and food stamps. Many are still paid by piece-rate, earning just pennies per bucket of produce…

Our project uncovered that the working conditions for farmworkers are not just precarious but often exploitative…

When farmworkers are dehumanized and treated as disposable labor, their agency and human rights are stripped away…