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July 30, 2018  |  VIEW IN BROWSER

From the Desk of the Executive Director

Washington Update

Daniel Sheehan, AFOP Executive Director

July 25, 2018

 

Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriations Looking Good

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have each approved fiscal year 2019 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bills that level fund the National Farmworker Jobs Program at the new, increased level of $88 million.  This alignment augurs well for level funding for the program year beginning July 1, 2019 and running through June 30, 2020.  The full Senate may soon consider its version of the Labor-HHS bill paired with the Defense spending measure.  It is not clear at all, however, how lawmakers will complete fiscal year 2019 spending measures, in these small groupings often called “minibuses,” or as one year-end catch-all omnibus package.   A September continuing resolution (“CR”) is also a possibility.  You will recall that Congress and the president approved our current program year 2018 funding at $88 million in March of this year.  That funding runs through June 30, 2019.

Administration Announces Skills Push

The president announced on July 19th a new push to expand workforce training to Americans without college degrees.  According to news reports, the executive order will form a National Council for the American Worker, which will be made up of senior administration officials “who will develop a national strategy for training and retraining workers for high-demand industries.”  The order will also establish “an advisory board comprising leaders from the private sector, educational institutions, philanthropic organizations and state governments” to work with the administration “to implement results-driven job-training programs in classrooms and workplaces across the country.”

The National Skills Coalition was quick with a response saying it applauds some of the initiatives, but that the federal government will need to make the necessary investments to put a dent in our nation’s skills gap:

Unfortunately, we have not seen a commitment from the Trump administration to ramp up investments in America’s workers. Innovative workforce efforts that have strong, bipartisan support in congress are underfunded after a decade of cuts, and the president’s own budget proposed even deeper cuts to career and technical education, adult basic education, and to WIOA – the landmark bipartisan legislation designed to strengthen our workforce system.  The $150 million in funding for expanding apprenticeships that the administration announced is a great first step but it can’t stop there.

The White House hinted at some of its priorities for workforce development in a Council of Economic Advisers report released Tuesday, July 17th.  The report criticizes restrictions on the use of federal funds — including Pell grants — that it said could be expanded to meet labor market challenges. It also raises concerns about “an information gap between employers, workers, and educational institutions” when it comes to the skills that employers value.  See White House release here.

Bruce Goldstein to “Step Back” from Farmworker Justice Presidency

Farmworker Justice President and CEO Bruce Goldstein announced last week that he will “step back” from group’s leadership role, but that he will “remain with the organization to help it continue its vital mission.”  Qualified individuals wishing to seek to fill this position can find more information here.

Inside AFOP

AFOP National Conference in September to Focus on Generational Training

 
Remember to register for the AFOP National Conference coming up September 18-20 in beautiful Washington, D.C.!  This year’s theme is Generational Training, and the conference committee and your AFOP team have put together an exciting slate of experts to discuss the ways our services affect farmworkers across generations, from youth to older workers. In addition, our colleagues from the United States Department of Labor will present important NFJP programmatic and grants-management trainings.

The conference adjourns mid-day Thursday, but for those sticking around until Friday, AFOP has also arranged a block of group tickets to see the Washington Nationals take on the New York Mets at Nats Park Thursday night. As it will be the last two weeks of the regular season, both teams could be in the hunt for a World Series ring.  Tickets are first-come first-served!

 Please see the AFOP website for details. 

AFOP Joins 130 Organizations in Petition to OSHA for Heat Stress Standards


On July 17th, AFOP participated in a campaign initiated by Public Citizen to urge the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) to "implement a federal heat stress standard for outdoor and indoor workers in all industries so that workers are protected from dangerous heat on the job."  Farmworkers are subjected to an enormous amount of heat stress, especially in the summer when crops ripen and temperatures rise.  With a federal standard for heat stress, AFOP expects that farmworker deaths from heat stress can be greatly reduced.
 
See the full letter here:

See related Washington Post article, below.

DOL Okays ORO Reimbursement of Discretionary Funds


As was the case for numerous National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) grantees, ORO Development Corporation of Oklahoma was in a bind last year:  its 2016-17 program year was over, but it did not yet have access to its 2017-18 funds.  Instead of laying off staff, ORO took the risk of paying salaries out of its discretionary fund with the hope that it could later reimburse itself with 2017-2018 monies once available.  Soon after the United States Department of Labor (DOL) made the new program year dollars available, however, it told ORO that it could not, in fact, reimburse itself for the expenditure of discretionary funds.  And there the matter stood for almost a year, when, in a chance conversation with ORO, AFOP learned of the situation and promptly contacted the NFJP national office for assistance in rectifying this mistake.  Late last month, DOL agreed that the ORO salary payment was an acceptable use of 2017-18 funds, since the expense occurred during the 2017-18 grant’s period of performance.  ORO has thanked AFOP for its intervention, saying that it has saved ORO approximately $40,000 in unrestricted funds.

CET Success Story “[Bus] Ride to Success” Published on USDOL’s Community of Practice

 
DOL recently published a success story about Jaime Tovar, an NFJP graduate from the Center for Employment Training (CET) and now Automotive Instructor at CET.  According to the story, “Jaime successfully graduated from the Automotive program on August 30, 2000, and much to his delight, landed a job in Monterey. Unfortunately, he was not able to accept the offer because he did not have transportation to get to the job site daily. As fate would have it, CET had a bus driver position open and offered this position to Jaime. He quickly obtained a Class B License and began transporting former farmworkers, like himself, to CET on a daily basis. In 2002, Jaime was offered the Automotive Assistant Instructor position at CET.”  Jaime has been working there ever since.
 
 [Read More]

Black Hills Wins First Place for NFJP Float in 4th of July Parade


South Dakota NFJP grantee and AFOP member Black Hills Special Services Cooperative won first place with their NFJP-themed float in the 4th of July parade in Pierre, SD.  The float also earned a Best South Dakota Pride prize—one of only 4 awards given.  There were over 400 entries.  Congratulations to BHSSC and especially to NFJP Case Manager Erin Zimmerman for her efforts!
Photo Credit © Proteus, Iowa

Proteus Trains NFJP Client and Launches Him into Successful New Career


In a recent newsletter, Proteus, Inc. reports on the success of a client named Curt, who worked as a seasonal farmworker and was seeking more financially supportive work. With the help of Proteus and NFJP, Curt completed the coursework necessary for two degrees: mechanical engineering technology and IT/network administration engineering. As a result, he now has a well-paying job with John Deere in their product engineering department.

 [Read More]

Kansas SER Spotlights NFJP Client Success Stories & Successful OJT Program


Kansas SER Corporation has released its June 2018 newsletter that includes profiles of some solid On-the-Job Training (OJT) partners, as well as several success stories of NFJP clients.  One story is about Colton England who, with Kansas SER’s help, studied welding at a local university to get ahead in life.  After getting placed with a local Caterpillar company, says Kansas SER, “Colton now earns more than six times the income he was earning in his previous job. Not long ago he was promoted to a Welder III. With enough income he realized one other goal of becoming a home owner. Soon, he will be married, be a father and can now financially support himself and his future family.”
 
 [Read More]
Lupe Martinez
President and Chief Executive Officer


Farmworker Justice to Honor UMOS President and CEO Lupe Martinez


Farmworker Justice has announced that it will honor Lupe Martinez, President and CEO of UMOS, at the annual Farmworker Justice Wine and Jazz Reception, Wednesday, October 10, 2018 in Washington, D.C.  Mr. Martinez was a migrant farmworker in his youth and eventually settled in Wisconsin.  He began working for United Migrant Opportunity Services, based in Milwaukee, and for the last 44 years he has been the President and CEO of UMOS.  This successful organization serves the Latino, low-income and farmworker communities in Wisconsin with programs in Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, and Florida.  Lupe chairs the National Farmworker Alliance and MAFO-A Partnership of Farmworker Organizations, and formerly was on the Board of Directors of UnidosUS.  He is also the Secretary-Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Farmworker Justice.  Those interested in sponsoring this event should visit farmworkerjustice.org.  Congratulations, Lupe!

AFOP Health & Safety

AFOP Health & Safety Receives Full Grant from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)


AFOP Health & Safety has secured a continuation of its grant with the Environmental Protection Agency, receiving the full amount of $500,000 for program year 2018-19.  AFOP H&S Director Melanie Forti commented that "AFOP is proud to continue working with EPA in our common goal to reduce workplace hazards through pesticide safety training for farmworkers and their families."
© U.R. (Robin) Romano
 

“The Content of their Character”: the Source of Migrant Kids’ Unique Work Ethic

AFOP Health & Safety Blog

 
Farmworker children often grow up in multi-cultural families and settings, having to serve as a bridge between cultures and languages.  Some migrant kids have to adjust to new schools and communities multiple times a year.  Many also work for pay while still very young – earlier than the law even permits.  But they do it out of love for their family and/or a feeling of obligation to help.  Seeing their parents work from dawn until dusk, 7 days a week, they understand implicitly that they do it for them, which instills in them a sense of responsibility as well as a drive to contribute and succeed, in order to make their parents proud.

 [Read More]

OPINION: Climate change isn’t just cooking the planet. It’s cooking our workforce.

Washington Post

 
In this opinion piece, Public Citizen managing director David Arkush and former OSHA administrator David Michaels argue that global warming is affecting workers as much as it’s having an impact on the earth itself.  According to the article, “heat is the leading weather-related killer in the United States, and the toll (estimates range up to 1,300 deaths per year) will rise steeply in the coming decades.”  Among those most likely to suffer, but least likely to complain, are the “non-English speaking, undocumented and migrant laborers.”
 
 [Read More]

Children in the Fields

Life-long Activist and Co-Founder of United Farmworkers DOLORES HUERTA Visits AFOP Offices, Promotes CIFC Essay & Art Contests

 
88-year old Dolores Huerta visits Washington, D.C. frequently, and has visited AFOP offices more than once since the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association (NMSHSA) hired her good friend Delia Garcia as Executive Director.  NMSHSA shares space in AFOP's office suite.  Despite her full schedule fighting for farmworker rights and various progressive political campaigns, Ms. Huerta was not too busy to take a moment out to promote Children in the Field Campaign’s Essay & Art Contests.
 
For an article about Ms. Huerta’s many accomplishments as well as her friendship with NMSHSA Executive Director Delia Garcia, see AFOP Health & Safety’s blog post published earlier this year on Dolores’s birthday here.

Farmworker Children Art & Essay Contest Entries Pouring into AFOP’s Offices


At the time this issue went to print, submissions for Children in the Field’s Art & Essay Contest were still coming in, having been postmarked just before the extended deadline of July 15th.  As always, the essays and artwork are all phenomenal, and the judges have a tough task ahead of them in selecting the winners.  For those coming to AFOP’s national conference September 18-20, you will get a chance to hear from four of these amazing individuals in person, as an all-expenses-paid trip to the nation’s capital is one of the prizes.

Child Labor Coalition Opposes DOL Proposal to Relax Child Labor Laws

On July 14th, the US Department of Labor submitted a new rule to the White House for regulator review called "Expanding Apprenticeship and Employment Opportunities for 16 and 17-Year Olds Under the FLSA."  According to the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, "the Department will consider whether certain Hazardous Occupations ...should be updated to reflect the current economic and work environments and to allow for safe and meaningful apprenticeship opportunities and student-learner programs." 
 
Because the weakening of these rules will put more child laborers at risk of injury and death while on the job, the Child Labor Coalition states that it is "working with NELP and various House and Senate offices on a recently-completed draft of a congressional sign-on letter that would oppose any weakening of hazardous work rules."
 
 [Read More]

Young Children Continue to Work in Tobacco Fields, at Great Risk to Themselves

Children working in tobacco fields is a problem that refuses to go away, reports both the Guardian and the Atlantic.  According to sources quoted in the Atlantic, this is partly due to the fact that labor contractors often hire the workers, enabling the employer to claim ignorance (real or feigned) when informed of who’s working the crops.  The Guardian reports that the other underlying cause is poverty.  One 14-year-old boy started working when his mother – the primary breadwinner – was diagnosed with cancer and could no longer work.  Other young workers want to buy toys or school supplies their parents cannot afford.  The third, and main, problem, of course, is the unequal labor laws that allow minors to work in agriculture at a much younger age than in non-agriculture.

2018 Youth Awards Accepting Applications

Hispanic Heritage Foundation

 
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation announced its 20th Youth Awards contest, now accepting applications from HS students of Hispanic origin on track to graduate in Spring 2019.  The Youth Awards program is the main pipeline of the Latinos On Fast Track (LOFT) Network, which identifies and promotes Latino leaders as they transition from their academic to professional careers.
 
The deadline is Monday, October 15th, 2018, and students can apply at www.hhfyouthawards.com.


Decreased Participation in Summer Meals Puts More Low-Income Children at Increased Risk of Food Insecurity

Food Research & Action Center

 
The Food Research & Action Center, the leading national nonprofit organization working to eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition in the United States, released a report last month called “Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report.”  According to this report, 7 million children lost access to nutritious school meals when the school year ended in 2017, and even more children were not able to eat breakfast at a summer meals site.  FRAC recommends that partners and non-profit entities increase their outreach efforts, as in states like Georgia and New Jersey, who increased participation in summer lunch programs by 25% or more.
 
 [Read More]

Inside the United States Department of Labor

Employment and Training Reporter Lays Out Process and Next Steps of New Allocation Formula for NFJP

ETR

 
On June 4th, the Employment & Training Reporter announced DOL’s revisions to the NFJP allocation formula and the 7-day public comment period, which ended on May 30, 2018.  According to the ETR, "Because changes will be considered, final allotments will be published in the Federal Register at a later date."

 [Read More]

U.S. Department of Labor Announces YouthBuild Funding Opportunity

DOL

 
DOL’s Youth Office has announced a new round of YouthBuild grant applications.  $85 Million will be disbursed in grants ranging from $700K – $1.1M each.  The closing date for applications is September 18, 2018.
 
Go here for additional information on grant eligibility and how to apply for funds here.
 
 [Read More]

U.S. Department of Labor Awards $84.4 Million for Reentry Projects

USDOL

 
On June 26, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor announced awards to 41 different organizations across the country for “Reentry Projects,” including one $4.5 million award to PathStone Corporation.  DOL states in its announcement that “the intent of the Reentry Projects grant program is to protect community safety by ensuring that participants who successfully exit the program are provided with positive opportunities to engage in employment or education; become productive, responsible, and law-abiding members of society; maintain long-term employment; and establish a stable residence.”
 
 [Read More]

DOL Reports Lowest Unemployment Rate in 18 Years

USDOL

 
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its May Jobs Report on June 1, announcing that the unemployment rate has dipped to an 18-year low of 3.8%.  
 
BLS reports that, “among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (3.5 percent), Blacks (5.9 percent), and Asians (2.1 percent) decreased in May. The jobless rates for adult women (3.3 percent), teenagers (12.8 percent), Whites (3.5 percent), and Hispanics (4.9 percent) changed little over the month."
 
 [Read More]

U.S. Department of Labor Debars Kentucky Tobacco Farmer and Assesses $35,755 Penalty for Visa Program Violations

USDOL


The U.S. Department of Labor, Wage & Hour Division (WHD), recently found a Kentucky tobacco farmer in violation of H-2A labor provisions by failing to reimburse foreign workers for their transportation expenses to and from their home countries as the law requires, failing to reimburse employees for expenses related to obtaining their visas, failing to keep required time and pay records, and failing to pay employees their wages when due. Smith also failed to pay the required minimum wage to H-2A visa workers, required by law so that their employment does not depress the wages of U.S. workers in the area.  He has been assessed a penalty of $35,755 and ordered to pay back wages. 

 [Read More]

WorkforceGPS Highlights Youth Summer Jobs

 
In its June newsletter, WorkforceGPS highlighted the new Youth Summer Jobs Community, an “online learning platform…to learn and share information on creating summer job programs that help youth develop the skills they need for employment.”  Also, it announces Youth Connections’ new webcast miniseries, “Our Journey Together:  snapshots of ideas for you to consider as you plan your local summer and year-round employment activities.”  According to WGPS, topics include “employer engagement, partner engagement, and recruitment and retention of out-of-school youth.”
 
 [Read More]

Eighty Years Later: The Fair Labor Standards Act

DOL

 
DOL celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) last month, stating in its blog that "workers depend on the FLSA to ensure they are paid wages they have earned. Job creators depend on the FLSA to ensure they compete on a level playing field. On this 80th anniversary, and always, [the Wage & Hour Division’s] dedication to its mission remains as steadfast as the day the FLSA was enacted.”
 
 [Read More]

Workforce Development

Photo credit:  Medium.com
 

Stranded Workers, Skill “Booster Shots” and the Future of Work

Medium.com

 
What does a worker do when their skills are no longer needed in the job market?  What is the future of work in a quickly-technologically-advancing society?  According to Medium.com, “Automation is welcomed when it eliminates unpleasant jobs unwanted by people. But, automation is also reshaping existing jobs and their workflow. At 22 meet-ups across the country, business and economic development leaders shared this loud and clear. Yet, they also articulated which skills will transcend waves of automation.”
 
 [Read More]
Photo credit:  AFOP
 

Where are All the Women Apprentices?

Hechinger Report

 
The Hechinger Report, an independent, non-profit newsroom, reported on a new study out from the Center for American Progress, which found that "women made up only 7.3 percent of apprentices in 2017."  They go on to explain that "that share is up by just 1.1 percent since 2008, even though apprenticeships have started to expand beyond traditionally male professions such as construction into fields such as IT and early childhood education."

 [Read More]

States Making Progress in Measuring Non-Degree Credential Attainment

National Skills Coalition

 
The National Skills Coalition states that “a new 50-state scan from the Workforce Data Quality Campaign, called ‘Measuring Non-Degree Credential Attainment,’ shows that states are making progress collecting data about credentials including certificates, industry certifications, and licenses. Realizing that non-degree credentials can lead to strong employment outcomes, many states now have education attainment goals that include non-degree credentials of value.”
 
 [Read More]

Disaster Relief and Recovery

Farmworker Programs Responded to Calamities

Employment and Training Reporter

 
The Employment and Training Reporter ran an article in their June 18th issue on NFJP grantees' amazing response to the many disasters of 2017.  The article highlights successful stories from Puerto Rico, Texas, and California, and features many of our own folks: Albert Rivera from PathStone Puerto Rico, Stacey Taylor of Motivation, Education, and Training (MET), and Paul Castro of California Human Development (CHD). 
 
 [Read More]

Disaster Preparedness and Response, Part II, Highlights the Availability of Disaster Unemployment Assistance for Future Victims of Natural Disasters

DOL

 
On May 31st, DOL presented Part II of the “Disaster Preparedness and Response” webinar series, moderated by Lianna Shannon of the National Monitor Advocate team.  In the webinar, National Monitor Advocate Juan Regalado encouraged grantees to reach out to various partners and develop a disaster preparedness response plan before disaster strikes.  Some partners mentioned:  DOL Unemployment Insurance office, State Monitor Advocates, first responders, Monitor Advocate Outreach Workers, and mental health organizations.  One potential game-changer for farmworkers is Disaster Unemployment Assistance, which provides a special kind of unemployment insurance for laborers like them who are put out of work because of a natural disaster – even if they are in another state at the time but can’t reach their next place of employment.
 
To view the recording, read the transcript, or access the many other helpful resources, click here.

‘People just give up’: Low-Income Hurricane Victims Slam Federal Relief Programs

Politico

 

Nine months after Hurricane Harvey, families are still living in tents or incompletely repaired homes and feeling frustrated with FEMA’s bureaucracy.  For many, they didn’t realize they lived in a flood plain and required flood insurance – in which case, they were summarily denied for any assistance.  For those who were granted assistance, the money awarded averaged $4,300 and was not enough to fully repair their homes.  
 
 [Read More]

Immigration

© Children’s Mental Health Network.
 

Fearing Deportation, Immigrant Parents Are Opting Out of Health Benefits for Kids

Children's Mental Health Network

 
Immigrants in Texas are increasingly choosing not to access public health benefits for kids with disabilities or medical conditions, as reported by the Children's Mental Health Network (CMHN).  CMHN and other immigrant advocates attribute this to "an uptick in immigration raids and deportations," which mean that "'a lot of people in the immigrant community have been making critical choices out of fear.'"

 [Read More]
Photo Credit:  Getty/Drew Angerer
Immigrant families and activists rally outside the Tennessee state Capitol in Nashville, May 31, 2018.
 

Trump’s Immigration Plan Imposes Radical New Income and Health Tests

Center for American Progress

 
The Center for American Progress reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is re-vamping the “public charge” test for immigration, which “would be reinterpreted to make it impossible for most working-class immigrants seeking green cards through the family- and diversity-based immigration processes to legally come to the United States.”  This could result in “nearly 1 in 3” immigrants in the U.S. failing the test and being disqualified for citizenship.
 
 [Read More]

Urban Institute Releases Report on the Untapped Potential of the Immigrant Workforce

 
Last week, the Urban Institute published a report called “Upskilling Immigrant Workforce to Meet Employer Demand for Skilled Workers.”  As the employment rate inches lower and lower, employers are seeking laborers wherever they can be found.  With 1 out of every 6 workers in the U.S. an immigrant, this population presents an opportunity for job trainers to help employers meet that demand.  Urban Institute hopes that this report helps the job training community “gain a better understanding of and strategies for better serving this segment of the adult learner population.”
 
 [Read More]

Trump Isn’t Pushing Hard for This One Popular Way to Curb Illegal Immigration

Washington Post

 
E-verify is an online system where employers can automatically check to see if job applicants have authorization to work in the U.S.  Currently, only eight states use the system, and Washington Post reports that “efforts to expand the mandate to all states have stalled, despite polls showing widespread support and studies showing that it reduces unauthorized workers.”

 [Read More]

See more about E-Verify, here:  https://www.e-verify.gov/

What We’re Reading

A student practices hooking an 18-wheeler up to a trailer during a commercial driver's license class at Lake Cumberland CDL Training School in Mount Sterling, Ky., in June 2014. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg News)
 

The U.S. Doesn’t Have Enough Truckers, and it’s Starting to Cause Prices of about Everything to Rise

Washington Post

 
Shipping demands are on the rise in 2018, pushing costs higher as the trucking industry cannot keep pace with the demand.  According to the Post, “young Americans are ignoring the job openings because they fear self-driving trucks will soon dominate the industry.”  Currently, some companies are paying their truckers $80,000/year – making this a potentially attractive career choice for unemployed farmworkers in those areas.

 [Read More]
 

America has a Massive Truck Driver Shortage. Here’s Why Few Want an $80,000 job

Washington Post

 
As a follow-up to its piece on America’s trucker shortage, the Washington Post interviewed several truckers on their yearly income, the perks and/or frustrations of the job, and whether or not they’d recommend it to someone else.

 [Read More]
© Getty/Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency
Demonstrators raise their fists to protest President Trump's attempts to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Washington, D.C., March 2018.
 

Latinas Leveraging Their Power in the Resistance

Center for American Progress

 
With immigration front-and-center in the news, it has become clear how many policy attacks the Latinx community is facing – and that they won’t take them lying down. The Center for American Progress reports that “with $1.4 trillion in buying power and a growing electorate power, the Hispanic and Latinx communities are leading the resistance from all corners. Not only are Latinas driving activism and marching in the streets, but they are also running for public office across the country—and winning. In the recent state election, two Latinas were elected to the Virginia House of Delegates for the first time—despite racist campaign ads and dog-whistle rhetoric trying to link the Latinx community at large to the international criminal MS-13 gang.”
 
 [Read More]

Judge Kavanaugh’s Nomination:  A Threat to Health Care, Workers, Consumers – and Even to the Rule of Law

Coalition on Human Needs

 
The Coalition on Human Needs stated July 10 that the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court poses grave risks to workers, consumers, and all Americans who seek legal protections against those who would deny them health coverage, voting and workplace rights, or endanger them with predatory lending or an unsafe environment. Much of his existing record should warn of a dangerous tilt away from safeguards for working and/or vulnerable Americans. 
 
 
See the full CHN statement here:

Poverty a Choice?

National Low Income Housing Coalition

 
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the White House Council of Economic Advisors recently reported that “the country’s war on poverty is ‘largely over and a success.’”  This, even though “more people live in severe poverty in the United States today than at any time in the last 20 years. Over 30 million Americans have no health care. Twenty-five percent of children in the United States live in poverty, the highest rate in the developed world. One in five children lives without consistent access to food.”  Obviously, the word “success” means something very different to the White House than it used to.

 [Read More]

New Groundbreaking Report Just Released:  Revealing Food’s Hidden Costs

Food Tank

 
According to a think tank on agriculture called the Food Tank, “more than one-fourth of greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. And when the effects of land-use change, deforestation, food waste, and all the stages food goes through on its way to people’s plates are included, that proportion climbs to between 43 and 57 percent. Right now, food prices and widely used metrics for evaluating agricultural productivity fail to reflect these consequences. A new report called TEEBAgriFood aims to evaluate the real costs and benefits of our food, considering factors such as environmental damage and fair wages for farmworkers as well as the costs of healthcare for undernourished and over-nourished communities around the globe.”
 
Click to download the TEEBAgriFood report here.

Research: Changes in Safety Net in Recent Decades Heavily Favored Working Families, Weakened Supports for Out-of-Work Families

Center for Budget and Policy Priorities

 
New research from the National Bureau of Economic Research reports that the safety net for families who are out of work has shrunk, compared to that for families who are slightly above the poverty line.  CBPP says that, “Hoynes and Schanzenbach’s findings provide a sharp contrast to rhetoric about the House farm bill’s SNAP proposals that implies that safety net programs are now overly generous to families in which the parent isn’t employed and don’t sufficiently emphasize work.”
 
 [Read More]
The AFOP Washington Newsline (ISSN# 1056-8565) is produced by the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP), a national federation of agencies serving migrant and seasonal farmworkers. AFOP’s mission is to improve the quality of life for migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families by providing advocacy for the member organizations that serve them.

The publication is funded by subscriptions and the members of AFOP. The Washington Newsline receives no financial support from the federal government. Staff may be reached by calling (202) 384-1754.
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