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Mar 18, 2022  |  VIEW IN BROWSER

 

2022 Leadership Conference a Success

Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Sue Delivers Stirring Welcome Address
Kendra Moesle, AFOP Director of Workforce Development
March 7, 2022

 
Last month, AFOP member staff from across the country gathered for the 2022 Leadership Conference in Washington, DC.  Despite having just endured another dramatic COVID outbreak, dozens of people bravely left their bubbles for the chance to connect with one another in person.  They were rewarded with the peer support they were craving as well as essential training provided by workforce professionals and key partners from inside the Department of Labor.
 
The opening address on Wednesday’s “DOL Day” was delivered by Deputy Secretary Julie Su, who began with these stirring words: “I am the daughter of immigrants. I spent most of my career focused on workers’ rights and civil rights, so my appreciation for the work you do comes from a deep place, personally and professionally.” 
 
Deputy Secretary Su added, “This administration – President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Walsh, all of us – know that it’s not enough to call people heroes or acknowledge them as essential if we don’t do the work of changing their [unsafe and unhealthy] conditions.”  Ms. Su advocated for a “new normal where there is an end to these injustices and the inequities suffered by farmworkers, where farmwork is a good job, with livable wages, healthy and safe working conditions, and farmworkers know and exercise their rights to organize and join unions.” 
 
The rest of DOL Day featured presentations by our allies ready to assist AFOP members in our common mission of achieving this “new normal”:  DOL’s Laura Ibañez provided training on dual enrollment and how to partner with other NFJP grantees across state lines; National Monitor Advocate Laura Tramontana informed AFOP members on how to better partner with their State Monitor Advocate; OSHA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary Jim Frederick advised members on the pending Heat Stress rule and other tools OSHA has developed to help improve workers’ health and safety; Kari Hogan from PPEP and Maisha Meminger from DOL’s Office of Youth Services gave us some fresh ideas on how to more effectively serve youth; and Andrew Wiegand, SPR’s founder and president, delivered the good news that, despite all the extra challenges piled on everyone these last two years, NFJP continues to out-perform other workforce development programs on almost every measure.
 
It all went by too quickly!  We enjoyed seeing everyone and look forward to doing it again in Litchfield Park, Arizona, this September.
 
View conference materials here.

Watch Julie Su’s welcome remarks again here.

INSIDE AFOP

Photo Credit Leah Martin Photography
 

Heriberto Flores, President of New England Farmworkers Council, Named 2022 ‘Difference Maker’

BusinessWest
February 17, 2022

 
BusinessWest has named Heriberto Flores “Difference Maker” of 2022 for helping people move forward from adversity over the past 50 years, while continually investing in the vitality of Greater Springfield, Massachusetts.
 
Flores knows something about need. He was intimately acquainted with poverty as his family struggled for sustenance throughout his childhood in Puerto Rico.  It was there, he said, that he began to identify himself with economically deprived groups and devote himself to service on their behalf. 
 
Specifically, his affinity with migrant farm workers led to the development of an agency — the New England Farm Workers’ Council (NEFWC) — to help them out with various needs, from fuel assistance to job skills to education.  That agency, launched in 1971, eventually morphed into Partners for Community, a nonprofit with multiple departments under its umbrella, including the Corporation for Public Management, which seeks solutions to welfare dependency, chronic joblessness, and illiteracy, and also focuses on providing services to those with physical and developmental disabilities.
 
Yet, through all his work with NEFWC and Partners for Community, Flores remains humble.
 
“I feel honored and proud to have been chosen by BusinessWest as one of the 2022 Difference Makers,” he said, noting that his board of directors and staff deserves much of the credit for what he’s been able to accomplish. “Our longevity and success is a direct result of their dedication to our clients and our organization.  All that I have accomplished is with the assistance of those around me.”
 
Read More
Photo Credit MET, Inc.
 

NFJP & a Key Mentor Achieve Positive Outcomes for Former Farmworker

MET Inc.
By Rachel Salazar
January 5, 2022

 
Warren and his mother were at a bad point in their lives.  They were living at a motel barely making it.  His mother had become ill with stage 4 cancer, so Warren was taking care of her whenever he wasn’t out in the fields hoeing cotton, picking pumpkins, tarping cotton modules, and fixing irrigation systems.

A police officer, Jaime Salinas, took Warren under his wing and began encouraging him to become an officer.  Warren said he’d never thought about becoming an officer, but because Officer Jaime kept encouraging him, he started to think about it.   Unfortunately, money was a challenge.  Warren mentioned that, even if he was to go to training, he would not be able to pay for it.  That’s when Jaime told him about MET.

MET determined that Warren was eligible and enrolled him in training.  Throughout his nine months at the Academy, Warren completed all requirements and passed every test, including his final.  At the swearing-in ceremony, Warren felt so proud of himself, as did his mother who was able to attend the ceremony.

Today, Warren works for the Plainview Police Department, not far from the MET offices where he first enrolled in NFJP.  His mentor, Officer Jaime, is now his captain.

Warren credits both MET and Officer Jaime with his success.  “Officer Jaime has been my best friend and he referred me to this place,” he says.  “MET made everything possible for me.  I’m just glad to be where I’m at right now.”

Abused H-2A Workers Awarded Back Wages at Long Last

Crew Aided and Rescued by UMOS Staff in 2018
USDOL
March 4, 2022

 
H-2A workers, whom UMOS staff had assisted in fleeing their employer and petitioning U.S. courts for justice, are about to receive their settlement at long last.
 
Under terms of an agreement signed by the U.S. Department of Labor and Marin J. Corp of Avon Park, Florida, on Feb. 23, 2022, Marin J. will pay $165,805 in back wages to 85 workers and a penalty of $75,000 for failing to provide meals or pay the required wage rate, and for charging unlawful fees.
 
“Investigators found Marin J. Corp provided these workers with living quarters that were woefully inadequate and violated basic human decency, and violated specific guidelines of the H-2A program, including charging workers to obtain employment,” said Wage and Hour Regional Administrator Michael Lazzeri in Chicago. “While it’s taken several years to settle this matter, the Department of Labor will pursue violators like Marin J. Corp doggedly to uphold the law and ensure the safety of vulnerable workers, and recover the rightful wages of workers cheated by their employers.”
 
Read More
 
Check out the original story from 2018.

HILL HAPPENINGS

Photo Credit Associated Press
 

Senate Passes $1.5 Trillion Spending Bill to Fund Government

U.S. News
By Lisa Hagan
March 10, 2022


The Senate voted Thursday evening, March 10th, to pass a $1.5 trillion spending bill to fund the government and provide nearly $14 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine, sending the must-pass measure to President Joe Biden’s desk before a Friday deadline.
 
In a 68-31 bipartisan vote that easily cleared the 60-vote threshold, the Senate approved a 12-bill appropriations package, also known as an omnibus, that funds the government for the rest of the fiscal year until Sept. 30.  The vote came a day after the House approved the sweeping bill to avert a shutdown before Friday at midnight.
 
Daniel Sheehan, Executive Director of AFOP, reported, “The bill increases NFJP by $1.5 million, provides an additional $324,520 for MSFW youth activities, preserves the 150-percent-of-poverty NFJP low-income definition, and continues DOL authority to process grant awards beginning April 1. We start using these dollars July 1.”
 
The passage of the appropriations package is a significant development after months of negotiations between both parties and chambers. Since appropriators were unable to reach a deal in September before the start of fiscal 2022, Congress has needed to pass several continuing resolutions to keep the government’s lights on.

Read More
Photo Credit National Farm Worker Ministry
 

Year-Round H-2A Language Dropped from Omnibus Spending Bill

March 16, 2022

 
Farmworker Justice reports that the final omnibus appropriations package enacted into law this week does not carry language first included in the House Homeland Security Appropriations bill that would have allowed H-2A farmworkers to work year-round, mainly as a benefit to the dairy industry.  In the face of stiff opposition from farmworker advocates, congressional negotiators dropped the provision from the final spending deal.  FJ also observed that the report accompanying the final appropriations bill includes language directing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to publish information on H-2A recruiters and provide H-2A workers directly with information about their immigration status.
 
See report excerpt here.
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address on March 1. (Saul Loeb - Pool/Getty Images)

 

Farmworkers and NFJP:  Priorities of the President

White House
March 1, 2022

 
President Biden mentioned farmworkers in his State of the Union address on March 1st:
 
"We can do all this while keeping lit the torch of liberty that has led generations of immigrants to this land—my forefathers and so many of yours.  Provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary status, farm workers, and essential workers.  Revise our laws so businesses have the workers they need and families don’t wait decades to reunite.  It’s not only the right thing to do—it’s the economically smart thing to do.
 
That’s why immigration reform is supported by everyone from labor unions to religious leaders to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  Let’s get it done once and for all."

 
In a fact sheet that the White House released on March 1st, the NFJP is listed among the “historic investments to create opportunity and build wealth in rural America.”  “President Biden is committed to ensuring that rural Americans have the opportunity to succeed – and that they can find that opportunity in rural America,” the statement begins.  “This commitment is not just vital for rural Americans, but vital for the country as a whole.”
 
Read More

AGRICULTURE

Photo Credit Associated Press | Nathan Howard
 

Oregon Becomes Eighth State to Pass Overtime Pay for Farmworkers

Modern Farmer
By Shea Swanson
March 10, 2022

 
Oregon farmworkers will now be entitled to overtime pay under a bill passed by the state legislature last week.
 
The legislation states that farmworkers will eventually be entitled to overtime pay after 40 hours of work. If signed by Oregon Governor Kate Brown, as is expected, the law will require a five-year phase-in process. Starting in 2023-2024, the overtime compensation will kick in at 55 hours per week, then 48 hours in 2025-2026, with the 40-hour max beginning in 2027. The Oregon Senate passed the bill in a 17-10 vote.
 
This decision lands Oregon on a short list of states in which all farmworkers are covered by overtime laws alongside California and Washington. In states including Minnesota, New York, Maryland and Hawaii, some but not all farmworkers are eligible for overtime pay. All other states either do not include farmers in their overtime legislation or don’t have laws that mandate overtime pay for any occupation.
 
Read More

Read Oregon farmworker advocates’ impassioned testimony in support of the bill.
Photo Credit:  Civil Eats
 

Will Automation Save American Farmers? Or Destroy Them?

The Daily Beast
March 4, 2022
 

In crop-lined fields across the United States, the long-promised age of autonomous technology appears to have finally arrived.
 
Already, a growing list of agriculture tech companies have developed self-piloting machines to, say, disperse seeds for crops, or harvest grapes, or pick apples, or distribute fertilizer.  That innovation has brought with it some major investment:  According to venture capital firm AgFunder’s most recent data, farm robotics ventures received a total of $491 million in investment during the first half of the 2021 business year, a 40 percent increase over the same period in 2020.

However, agricultural workers are still very much needed on farms across the country.  Of this looming mass displacement by technology, Crescenio Diaz, a Teamsters union president representing farmworkers in the Salinas Valley, observed, “We don’t see it right now, [but] we’ll see that in the future: [robots] displacing our workers.”
 
“The only people who are going to retain jobs will be savvy enough to run and fix the machines,” Diaz said. “The other people, they’re going to be displaced.”
 
Read More

UFW President Emeritus Arturo Rodriguez to Co-Chair New USDA Equity Commission 

USDA
February 10, 2022

 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the members of the newly established Equity Commission and its Subcommittee on Agriculture.  As authorized and funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, the launch of the independent Commission delivers on President Biden’s commitment to create an independent Equity Commission and provide it with the necessary resources to support its mission to address historical discrimination at USDA. 
 
Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh and United Farm Workers President Emeritus Arturo S. Rodriguez will serve as Co-Chairs of the Commission.
 
The 15-member commission and its Subcommittee on Agriculture will provide recommendations to the Secretary on policies, programs, and actions needed to address equity issues, including racial equity issues, within the Department and its programs, including strengthening accountability and providing recommendations to the Secretary on broader and more systemic equity issues at USDA.
 
“USDA acknowledges we have not done enough to provide all farmers and ranchers an equal chance of success and prosperity, and we are striving to change that,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This Commission will support our work to build a USDA that does not ignore or leave anyone behind anyone as we dismantle barriers that historically underserved communities have faced in accessing USDA programs and services.”
 
Read More

Idaho Potato Farm Threatened to Fire Foreign Workers if They Didn't Accept Wages below Legal Limit

Yahoo! News
February 23, 2022

 
A potato farm in Idaho "intentionally" violated H-2A visa rules and even threatened to fire guest workers if they didn't accept wages below the legal limit, according to the US Department of Labor (DOL).
 
Jorgensen Management, a potato farm in Bancroft, southeast Idaho, gave workers nearly $160,000 in unpaid wages after a DOL investigation.
 
The farm showed a "willful disregard for the law," in which it "created a toxic workplace and victimized these vulnerable workers," Carrie Aguilar, district director of the DOL's Wage and Hour Division in Portland, Oregon, said in a press release Tuesday.
 
The farm also failed to pay the required rates to 69 domestic workers hired alongside H-2A visa workers, per the DOL.
 
Read More

FARMWORKER CHILDREN

AFOP Joins CASN’s Leadership Team

Children in the Fields Campaign
March 2, 2022

 
Recently AFOP became part of the Childhood Agricultural Safety Network (CASN) leadership team to help develop agricultural materials and guidelines for youth in agriculture.  CASN is a coalition of health and safety organizations that work together to help keep children safe on the farm.  These organizations represent the agricultural community, child injury prevention, minority-serving associations, and related industry organizations.  The mission of CASN is to “set a vision and provide leadership and coordination of childhood agricultural injury prevention efforts in a manner that is both geographically and ethnically diverse.”  Since 2000, CASN’s purpose is to strengthen partnerships and collaborative efforts that will decrease the incidence of childhood agricultural injury.
 
To learn more about the partnership between CASN, AFOP, and other organizations, visit CASN’s new professional platform HERE.

Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Child Art & Essay Contest

Children in the Fields Campaign
March 2, 2022

 
Have you been waiting for this year’s contest announcement?  The wait is almost over!  On April 4th, AFOP’s Children in the Fields Campaign will be announcing this year’s contest theme, guidelines, and application HERE!
 
AFOP believes that every farmworker child has a story to tell.  We offer that platform through our annual Art and Essay Contest.  Each year we receive hundreds of essays and works of art from students across the country, giving farmworker children the opportunity to showcase their heartwarming and compelling stories on the national stage and to find the power in their voice.  The stories submitted are used to help advocate for farmworker children’s rights.  
 
We are looking for sponsorships for this year’s contests!  Please contact Melanie Forti at forti@afop.org if you or your organization is able to make a contribution.

Please stay tuned and follow us on social media for updates as @CIFCampaign! 
Instagram  – FacebookTwitter

CIFC Online Store Officially Open

Children in the Fields Campaign
March 2, 2022

 
AFOP’s Children in the Fields Campaign has officially launched its online store.  Each purchase helps support our work to keep farmworker children in school while we work to bring change to U.S. child labor laws to protect this vulnerable population.
  • Merch available in multiple colors
  • New collections every other month
  • Fast shipping
  • Purchase with a purpose
Visit our online store to support our work by purchasing some of the beautifully designed items.

Former AFOP Staff Member Reid Maki Featured in Child Labor Article

The Conversationalist
February 9, 2022

 
Finding the legal means to put children to work is another attempt by some states to compensate for the “great resignation,” with four million Americans declining to return to their low-paid jobs when the pandemic lockdown ended.  
 
A proposed Wisconsin law, vetoed by Governor Tony Evers on February 4th, would have allowed businesses to keep wages low and fill job vacancies with adolescent employees—who should be focusing on their studies instead of working late on school nights—rather than increasing wages to attract adult employees.  The bill targeted businesses that are not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act – agricultural employers among them - and it would have expanded dramatically the number of hours 14 and 15 year-olds were allowed to work, to 11 p.m. on evenings that were not followed by a school day and as late as 9:30 pm on school nights.
 
Reid Maki, the Director of the National Consumer League’s Child Labor Coalition, said the government does not keep strong data on child labor. “There’s good reason to fear that the numbers could climb,” he said, adding that rising poverty caused by the pandemic could “drive kids to early work” rather than staying in school.

Read More

FARMWORKER HEALTH & SAFETY

National Farmworker Training Program Off to a Great Start

AFOP Health & Safety
March 2, 2022

 
On January 4th, the National Farmworker Training Program (NFTP) began its program year with 35 organizations located in 34 states.  At this time, AFOP has conducted over 10 train-the-trainers and certified its network of 233 trainers that will provide pesticide safety and heat stress prevention to a total of 36,000 farmworkers.  The NFTP closed its first month with a total of 939 farmworkers and 9 employers trained.  As the programmatic year ends, we expect to reach each one of our proposed goals including a pilot project that will help us learn about farmworkers’ new migrant streams.

  • To learn more and join this program visit our website HERE  (free material download). 

JOIN US! National Long-Sleeve Shirt Drive during National Farmworker Awareness Week

AFOP Health & Safety
March 2, 2022

 
Every year, AFOP participates in National Farmworker Awareness Week (NFAW) at the end of March.  NFAW is a week of action for communities and individuals to bring attention to farmworkers and honor them for the contributions they make to our daily lives.  As part of NFAW, AFOP will coordinate a national effort during the week of March 26 to April 2, 2022, collecting long-sleeve shirts to help protect farmworkers across the country.   During this week-long celebration, our goal is to collect as many long-sleeve shirts as possible nationwide, as well as to educate the public and the communities about the occupational hazards farmworkers encounter.  
 
To learn more and join the drive visit our website HERE.

INSIDE DOL

Workers Owed Wages Tool Updated

DOL Wage & Hour Division
March 4, 2022

 
The U.S. Department of Labor’s online “Workers Owed Wages” tool has been updated.  Workers can use this page to see if back wages are due to them. The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) holds back wages for three (3) years as it looks for workers. 
 
When the Wage and Hour Division finds labor law violations, they often get unpaid wages on behalf of workers. If they cannot locate these employees, WHD holds their back wages while they continue to look for them. After three years, if WHD remains unable to find the person owed back wages, they are required to send the money to the U.S. Treasury.
 
Read More

WorkforceGPS Welcomes National Dislocated Worker Grants Community

USDOL
February 25, 2022

 
WorkforceGPS has created a Community of Practice for National Dislocated Worker Grantees.  
 
The National Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) program provides supplemental time-limited funding assistance in response to major economic dislocations or other events that cause significant impacts and exceed the capacity of existing formula funds and other relevant resources.
 
DWGs enable states and communities to respond to and recover from large, unexpected dislocation events such as mass layoff or natural or other disasters. The DWG virtual community is designed to provide grant recipients with a place to interact with other grantees and to access the latest program technical assistance and resources designed to support your successful grant.
 
Read More

GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

USDOL Announces Apprenticeship Building America Program

USDOL
February 23, 2022

 
The Apprenticeship Building America grant program is seeking new grant proposals now through April 25th.  $113 million in funds are available, up to $50 million of which will be dedicated to projects that are primarily focused on equity partnerships and pre-apprenticeships.  Grants will support 48-month project periods, with an anticipated start date of July 1.  Awards are expected to range from $1 million to $8 million.
 
The Apprenticeship Building America grant program will strengthen and modernize the RAP (Registered Apprenticeship Program) system, increase equity and accessibility in program delivery to apprentices, bring the Registered Apprenticeship model to more industries, and improve RAP completion rates for under-represented populations and underserved communities.
 
For more information click here.

New Grants Page Has Information on Department Funding Opportunities

USDOL
January 21, 2022

 
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently launched a new grants page to help publicize funding opportunities, teach prospective applicants how to apply, and showcase DOL grants in action.  Thanks to this new web portal, grant opportunities and other information stored on grants.gov are now more accessible to the public.
 
Bookmark the site to follow new grant announcements.

New Grant Opportunities from Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)

CSPI
February 23, 2022

 
The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s (CSPI’s) first round of grant making for 2022 is now open. CSPI seeks to support communities as they explore local, state, and federal policy interventions to elicit systemic change and advance a just and equitable food environment.  They are focused on identifying strategies and passing policies aimed at increasing purchasing power for, and access to, nutritious food that meets people’s needs, supporting a healthier food environment, and reducing health disparities across demographic groups. 
 
CSPI currently has open opportunities in the following areas, and will be releasing additional opportunities throughout the spring:
  • Policies to expand or strengthen Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Fruit and Vegetable Incentives 
  • Community-Driven Policy Campaigns to Advance Health Equity through SNAP 
  • Healthy Restaurant Kids’ Meals Policies 
  • Healthy Food Purchasing and Food Service Policies for Public Facilities 
  • Federal Lobbying Grants Supporting Healthy School Meals 
Please visit CSPI’s new Grant Opportunities webpages to see all the details.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

PY 2020 Brought Changes in WIOA System Service Delivery

Employment & Training Reporter
March 7, 2022

 
Nationally, the workforce development system exited far fewer participants in Program Year 2020 than it has in recent years, but the frequency of some key services grew significantly, including in-depth career planning, supports, and training.  The demographic composition of exiters changed in some important ways. Notably, the demographics of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act adult program exiters became younger and poorer, yet more likely to have been employed at enrollment, among other shifts, and trends were similar among dislocated workers.
 
Across all programs, the number of exiters in PY 2020 was 325,779. This was down by nearly 72 percent, from 1.1 million in PY 2019.
 
Find WIOA performance results here.
 
WIOA and Wagner Peyser 2020 Data Book, developed by SPRA, is available here.
Photo Credit Medium.com
 

Digital Inclusion and Reaching Underserved Populations, Part 2: How to Make It Happen

USDOL
March 9, 2022

 
Access to computers and broadband is not a given for many of those in underserved communities; nor is the technical know-how to use applications that are often foundational to entry into today’s job market.
 
Oregon's Trade staff has recently begun a pilot for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) participants, who are also part of underserved communities, to provide computer hardware, internet access, and training to help ensure successful and sustainable reemployment.
 
This will be the second webinar on this pilot, and it takes place on March 30th, from 2:00-3:30pm ET.
 
Click here to register.

WHAT WE’RE READING

Photo Credit Achievement First
 

Women’s History Month:  The Past is Present

Achievement First
March 4, 2022
 

This Women’s History Month, we honor our personal and national heroes. And, we are reminded of how the past is present.  This national celebration of women’s history was initiated just 40 years ago with a single week in March before growing into a month-long remembrance of the women who have shaped our country.
 
So many of the women then honored cracked opened the doors for women we now look to for inspiration.
 
Without U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm, there could be no Vice President Kamala Harris.  Dr. Jane Goodall set in motion a female-driven environmental advocacy that’s been catapulted forward by teenager Greta Thunburg.  Ninety-year-old labor and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta has told reporters she is “in awe” of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.
 
And at our school dress up days, countless of our young scholars dress up like Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Michelle Obama, Mae Jemison, Serena Williams, Ellen Ochoa, Ida B. Wells, Simone Biles, and so many others.  Our students’ futures will be fueled by what they know is possible. It is abundantly clear that the past is present.
 
Our children know they are Black Girl Magic.  They feel the presence and power of their Latina identity.  They know this because they see it all around them, in the incredible women present in their living rooms, their classrooms, and in the halls of Congress.
 
There is so much promise in that knowing.
 
It means our little girls not only see what they too can be, but also that they recognize women’s—and especially Black and Latina women’s—legacy of breaking new ground.  Our scholars will walk tall in the footprints left by the giants who came before, and they’ll also chart paths that have not yet been imagined.  As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we celebrate this future so many great women have made possible.
 
Read More

Robust COVID Relief Achieved Historic Gains against Poverty and Hardship, Bolstered Economy

Center on Budget & Policy Priorities
February 24, 2022

 
When COVID-19 began to rapidly spread across the United States in March 2020, the economy quickly shed more than 20 million jobs. Amid intense fear and hardship, federal policymakers responded, enacting five relief bills in 2020 that provided an estimated $3.3 trillion of relief and the American Rescue Plan in 2021, which added another $1.8 trillion.
 
This robust policy response helped make the COVID-19 recession the shortest on record and helped fuel an economic recovery that has brought the unemployment rate, which peaked at 14.8 percent in April 2020, down to 4.0 percent. One measure of annual poverty declined by the most on record in 2020, in data back to 1967, and the number of uninsured people remained stable, rather than rising as typically happens with large-scale job loss. Various data indicate that in 2021, relief measures reduced poverty, helped people access health coverage, and reduced hardships like inability to afford food or meet other basic needs.
 
See a separate Center for American Progress’s analysis here.
 
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 promoting self-sufficiency through employment and training opportunities, educational attainment, and health and safety.

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) 963-3200.
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