Policy Priorities > 

Everyone Gets a Fair Deal

 > 

Close the Labor Abuse Loopholes

We need to build an economy that respects rural working people, and the federal government needs to protect workers’ freedom across industries.

  • Expand and strengthen overtime protections.1
  • Recognize farmworker rights and end the federal law that exempts agricultural workers from basic workplace protections. Ensure farmworkers have equal rights to overtime pay and minimum wage standards. They should be safe on the jobsite with explicit safety protections from exposure to heat and smoke.2
  • Workers should be confident that they can work safely without fear of being targeted on the job because of their immigration status or the perception of their immigration status based on their race, ethnicity, culture, or industry.
  • Protect children from labor abuse and dangerous jobs. Enforce child labor laws.3

Notes

  1. The Overtime Pay Act of 2025 restores the regulation that expanded and strengthened overtime protections for up to 29.3 million workers.
  2. See the Fairness For Farmworkers Act and the Farmworker Smoke and Excessive Heat Protection Act of 2025.
  3. The Child Labor Exploitation Accountability Act ensures USDA contractors comply with labor laws, expands child labor laws to independent contractors, and increases penalties for child labor law violations.

For more on labor, see Empower Workers.