Washington Policy On The Go is WPC’s bi-weekly (weekly during the legislative session) virtual lunchtime event series featuring center directors and guests to inform you on the latest in Washington State policy research and analysis. In this video, Pam Lewison lays out the harms of a bill that purports to help farmworkers, but would end up devastating farms in our state.
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00:00 – Introduction
00:27 – Who counts as “food production”
01:45 – Card check, no secret ballot
03:10 – One union across supply chain
04:21 – Coercion concerns
05:46 – Strikes vs harvest window
07:38 – Farm income + labor costs
09:07 – Jayapal H-2A proposal
10:03 – Why a visa cap changes supply
12:49 – Q&A: unionization origins
13:44 – Opt-out question
15:56 – Rapid fire bills
Bills mentioned int his video:
SB 6045, to place agricultural employees under PERC for collective bargaining: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=6045&Year=2025
HB 2516, to place a moratorium on the use of certain rodenticides: https://apps.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2516&Year=2025
SB 6104, to create “agricultural impact statements” and require agencies to consider impacts on agriculture: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=6104&Initiative=False&Year=2025
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