After watching The Harvest/La Cosecha, I realize that a lot of child farmworkers in the US have risked their safety and health. Therefore, I’m writing to ask you to help protect children in the fields of America. Below are some of my thoughts:
• All state should do regular inspections to see that farmers ensure that workers wear protective clothes.
• The U.S Department of Labor should define what kind of work these children can do based on their age and sex.
• The labor Department should include agricultural machines on the list of particularly hazardous machinery.
• Some law should be made in order to help workers have enough money to see a doctor if they get seriously sick or injured.

Truc

The US Government should make every effort to keep uninterrupted study for farm working children. They should also facilitate the registration process. The EPA should enforce regulations about pesticides and residue on vegetables and fruits. All states should do regular inspections to see that farmers ensure that workers wear protective clothes.

Ravinder

The child farmworkers work and live in horrible conditions; the US government has not managed to deal with this problem. Here are some recommendations to end this situation.
US Congress should have a minimum age requirement to work in agriculture and set time limits for working children. US congress should also provide sufficient support to ensure that agricultural workers receive the same education as the other children.
The Environmental Protection Agency should set up a department to help farmworkers learn about poisonous materials in fields and send teams to teach farmworkers how to protect themselves. The EPA should include agricultural machines on the list of particularly hazardous machinery.
Farmworkers have died because no health benefits are given. Some laws should be made in order to help workers who do not have enough money to see doctors if they get seriously sick or injured. Congress should definitely make a national law to force hospitals to serve all farmworkers.
Farming is tiresome and painful, and farmworkers deserve that the US Department of Labor check farms to ensure that they obey the laws. They should also encourage farmers to pay higher wages for hazardous jobs. Even better, the US Congress should include farmworkers under the labor and wage laws.

Noemi

I think that major attention should be drawn to these children. Congress should inforce the minimum age for agricultural workers, and it should be 14. All hazardous jobs or work with agricultural machinery should be carried out by workers older than 21. During the school year children should not work more than four hours a day , and they must also be encouraged, helped and accepted in all school activities. Furthermore, the U.S. Congress should do regular inspections to see that farmers ensure that workers wear protective clothes. In my view, it would be great if farmers are paid higher so they will feel motivated and satisfied.

Natalia

There are so many problems with farmworker's working conditions that I made a list of recommendations. I hope you can assist the farmworkers in some way.

● The U.S Government should make a minimum age restriction and minimum wage for working in farm fields.
● The U.S Department of Education should make some special classes for migrant children. They should also connect all the school's computer systems so they can share all the migrant children's education records and grades.
● The EPA should help farmworkers know about poisonous materials in fields. They should send teams to teach farmworkers how to protect themselves.

JingTao

The following are recommendations that can be useful to address some of these problems:
• The US Department of Labor should define what kinds of work these children can do based on their age and sex, as well as monitor agricultural workplaces and punish any violations.
• The Environmental Protection Agency should enforce employers to increase security measures such as providing farmworkers with the necessary equipment to keep themselves safe.
• The governmen should give working children opportunities to get a good education by creating special programs that help them take classes at different schools and times.

Karina

Together, the Congress and the Department of Labor should look for opportunities to help agricultural workers, especially children working in agriculture.
All states should do regular inspections to see that farmers ensure that workers wear protective clothes. The farmworkers’ housing should have special standards of hygiene and should be certified every year.
Furthermore, integrating children’s labor issues into programs and activities should help them to attend school or vocational training which will help them rise up out of poverty.
I left my country because I wanted a better life, and I’m sure that the farmworkers had the same reason to leave their countries. It doesn’t matter if they are American citizens or not, or if they are legal immigrants or not. All these migrant people work to put food on America’s tables and must have their rights.

Ioana

The government should reconsider laws and make sure that it monitors regularly to protect children and families working in agriculture. First, many children who are less than 18 years old are working in the field because of current unfair laws. As you know, the field works are very hard and hazardous for children’s health and education. There are a lot of children who drop out of school because they don’t have time and energy to study, so the government has to change the current laws to include children working in agriculture. Also, the government needs to create conditions so that children can keep studying even though they’re migrants. In addition, the government should extend minimum wage laws to include agricultural workers to relieve them from extreme poverty. Furthermore, some chemical pesticides are quite harmful for laborers. Please prohibit using all of these and encourage the use of safer ones. Farm workers also need to be educated about ways to protect their bodies from chemicals. Finally, the most important thing is to enforce all of these laws and measures completely. I believe that these horrible situations can be changed with the government efforts.

Sayaka

I’m concerned about the bad situation that children who work in the American fields suffer. It’s time to do something about the horrible situation!!! Those kids shouldn’t even be working in the field. They don’t even get paid minimum wage. They should have the same rights as children in other jobs. It’s necessary to make a law and enforce it.

Rogelio

Congress should:
• Apply the same hour requirement to children working in agriculture as already applied to children working in other industries;
• Raise the minimum age to 18 years for hazardous work in agriculture;
• Enforce the Sanitation Standard to be applied in agriculture;
• Impose the minimum age 18 for pesticide work and revise the reentry intervals (REIs)of time in an area treated with pesticides.

Anonymous

Farm working children are unprotected by law, have very low expectations for school life and medical care.
Agricultural farm working children are exposed to chemicals used on land crops and susceptible to physical injuries.
Farm working children are working as many hours as an adult and don’t have medical or dental care or other benefits.
Farmworkers are being abused in many ways: abusive rental fees for housing that lacks basic services, installations and sanitary conditions. Existing violence and slavery are being reported to authorities (in Florida, for example).
As a student of Renton Technical College attending ESL classes, I want my voice to be heard by the corresponding authorities. I urge you to make every effort to rectify these horrible and inhumane conditions.

Guillermo

Conditions for Migrant Workers

After watching two video reports on the plight of migrant farmworkers in the US, students were shocked and dismayed to find that conditions have hardly improved for these people in over 50 years! But the most disheartening facts concerned child workers--ages 10 to 18 years old. Did you know that US labor laws protect all working children except in agriculture?

Here are some other shameful facts:
• Children as young as 10 years old working illegally in agriculture
• Children missing out on education due to inadequate transfer of grades and school records
• Children working when they should be in school
• Preschool children in the fields exposed to pesticides because their parents have no child care
• Little or no education for farmworkers concerning hazardous chemicals and machinery
• Lack of protective clothing for workers in the field
• Lack of water and lavatory facilities to ensure cleanliness in the fields

The people who do the hardest labor and put food on America's tables are treated worse than animals! Writing letters to the US Congress and the Washington State legislature, students made the following comments and recommendations.

My First Day in the United States

by Jacqueline Rivera

I lived near the border of Texas and Mexico. The border was only 20 minutes from my house. My first home in the US was in MacAllen, Texas.
My first day here I went shopping with my friend. I shopped for three hours. I only understood a little English for the bus. I could only look around. I buy everything with no English. I was very excited.

My First Day in the United States

by Manjeet Kaur, India

My first day here I felt bad because my relatives were in India. I felt bad because I could not speak English but my children helped to understand English. My family was happy because they liked it here. Now I like it here because my family is happy.

My First Day in the United States

by Jana Moiseev, Moldova

My first day here was the last day in the fall, November 30, 2009. I was happy because I could be together with my sister. I was in Portugal for 3 years and my sister was in Moldova.
I felt very bad because I couldn't understand English. Little by little I will like it here. I am a student at Renton Technical College (RTC).
My first teacher was Audrey. She was very good for students. My second teacher is Marcia. I like her. Thank you, teachers, for your help.