AFOP and the Office of Special Counsel

From left to right Daniel Lopez, Cristina Herrera, Nita D'Agostino, Tracy Jones, and Marco Lopez, (Pathstone Corporation) Erik Lang (OSC Counsel) Jane Hagan (AFOP) and three growers from Chester county in Pennsylvania

The mission of the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP) is to improve the quality of life for migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families. AFOP achieves this by advocating for member organizations that serve farmworker needs.

AFOP’s basic premise is that training and education can ensure better lives for farmworkers. To this end, AFOP works with the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) of the U.S. Department of Justice, to provide outreach and training workshops for farmworker service providers within AFOP member organizations, as well as agricultural employers and groups that work closely with the member organizations.

The workshops cover topics including immigration-related unfair employment practices, hiring and employment regulations, and updates on employment verification procedures. AFOP also adapts and translates educational materials from the OSC and distributes them within its network of organizational members, to peer groups, as well as other affiliated parties to further its public education outreach efforts to both agricultural employers and workers.

The OSC enforces anti-discrimination policies to protect legally authorized workers from different kinds of employment-related discrimination. The AFOP/OSC partnership began in 2006, when AFOP received a grant to ensure that farmworkers were protected from immigration-related discriminatory employment practices.

Outreach Activity Updates

In early May, AFOP and Office of Special Counsel (OSC) representatives met with growers in Charlottesville, Virginia to present workshops on immigration-related employment discrimination. Also present were representatives from the Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Employment Commission. Marlene Larios of Telamon Corporation helped arrange the visit and put AFOP and the OSC in contact with an impressive number of Virginia growers.

Nicknamed "Eagle's Nest" by some locals, this is one of the highest points in Adams County, Pennsylvania, with a bird's eye view of sprawling orchards below

Our outreach efforts in Virginia resulted in a spate of interesting ideas for joint projects between AFOP and organizations that work to help educate farmworkers on various topics. Discussions are ongoing to see where and how best these joint efforts can be developed to further empower agricultural workers.

From June 21 to June 26, AFOP and the Office of Special Counsel met with various growers in Pennsylvania to share information, provide updates, and answer questions on immigration-related employment issues. The outreach workshops were presented to agricultural employers in Adams, Franklin, Chester and Burke counties. These grower outreach events were facilitated by Nita D’Agostino, Tracy Jones, and Sherrie McLatchy of PathStone Corporation, an AFOP member organization in Pennsylvania.

The objective of this grower outreach was to meet with agricultural growers in an interactive setting to discuss issues of mutual concern that affect both growers and farmworkers. One of the most important topics discussed was potential discrimination during the hiring process and document abuse from overly cautious agricultural employers.

Challenges involved with the hiring process were discussed in depth. This was important because research has shown that some potential employees have been turned away or refused employment in past years by overly cautious growers who may have demanded more employment verification paperwork than the law requires.

Outreach Feedback & Comments:

A produce market in Adams County selling fresh produce, various preserves, canned produce, and other goods

The presentations were given in an interactive format to encourage open dialogue between growers, AFOP, and OSC representatives. Most of the growers are very knowledgeable about the laws and regulations regarding employment and document abuse. However, some had important questions about document verification and procedures for updating employee information without overstepping legal boundaries.

A recurring theme during the discussions was growers’ concern with getting a steady supply of farmworkers, especially during the peak seasons. Tied into that was the need to comply with government and state regulations regarding employment and hiring, which many agricultural growers have questions about. Some growers suggested joint projects or some collaboration between AFOP and other organizations that work and advocate for agricultural workers, growers and related concerns.

The outreach efforts and educational materials presented gave more insight into immigration-related employment issues. The discussions have generated a fair amount of interest, which AFOP and the Office of Special Counsel will utilize to organize further outreach efforts for farmworkers and growers.

For more information on AFOP’s public education outreach efforts on immigration-related employment discrimination contact Jane Hagan: hagan@afop.org or 202-828-6006 ext 102