May 7, 2020
Migrant workers: fearlessly reporting labor abuses during COVID-19
We’re outraged at all the news that’s exposing the realities that migrant workers face. A few days earlier, a U.S. news outlet announced that “a farmworker in eastern North Carolina is the first confirmed case of COVID-19,” amidst reports of other suspected cases and sure certainly other migrant workers who have contracted the virus. But concerns about and attention given toward the possibility of an outbreak among workers has focused on labor shortages and food supply, not on worker health and safety.
What happens to migrant workers in the context of COVID-19?
We know that the world is going through a difficult health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed a series of challenges in social, economic, and labor relations, to mention a few. This crises has a differentiated impact on those social groups with greater vulnerabilities and risk of contracting the virus, especially when they face challenges to quarantining themselves at home and following sanitation guidelines.
Considered to be “essential” to ensuring the U.S. food supply in these moments of crisis, migrant men and women work under deficient labor protections, including:
Living in close quarters, often in tight spaces that as many as 12 people must share with a single bathroom and kitchen between them.
The housing that migrant worker men and women occupy is often in rural areas, far from service centers to which they often must travel in groups to access food and personal hygiene supplies.
Their means of transportation from home to work is prone to overcrowding, without the sufficient space for social distancing that public health officials recommend.
They do not have first aid supplies or necessary equipment in their workplaces, like gloves or masks.
These conditions increase risk of contracting the virus. If you face difficulty in your workplace or housing, you can contact Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM). CDM offers free legal advice on labor rights matters in the United States. You can call 1-855-234-9699 (from the United States) or 01 800-590-1773 (from México).
In moments of pandemic, it is important that you know that you have the right to a safe and healthy workplace. It’s also important to strengthen solidarity among migrant worker communities, build community and report any abuse or labor rights abuse. It can make a difference. Now, more than ever, it’s important to spotlight injustices and unite voices among migrant workers.