How farmworkers were left behind

We’re back from Labor Day weekend and talking about a group of laborers that’s in short supply these days: farmworkers. The people who pick the food we eat are considered the backbone of the agricultural industry. So why are they treated differently than other workers and often go without the same labor protections like overtime and the right to unionize?

On the show today, Mary Hoopes, associate law professor at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, explains why agricultural workers were left out of the New Deal’s labor protections, what’s changed since then and the exploitative nature of temporary visa programs used to fill ongoing farm labor shortages. Where do Big Ag and American consumers fit in all of this? And will the massive 2023 Farm Bill help?

Then, we’ll get into how a drop-off in funding for many federal aid programs could impact low-income families. And projections from Bloomberg Economics show that China will probably not surpass the U.S. as the world’s largest economy by 2030, as many economists had predicted. If not 2030, when?

Later, a listener tells us about why it’s difficult to avoid single-use plastics in the health care industry. And evolutionary biologist Jonathan Losos was wrong about why cats meow.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Regulating Marginalized Labor” from the Hastings Law Journal

“The Food and Farm Bill Can Do a Lot for Workers” from the Union of Concerned Scientists

“Can the United Farm Workers of California Rise Again?” from The New York Times

“As these farmworkers’ children seek a different future, farms look for workers abroad” from NPR

“Farm Workers Exposed to Climate Change Effects Are Demanding Protections” from PBS

The incredible American retreat on government aid from The Washington Post

“A D.C. grocery store is removing Tide, Colgate and Advil to deter theft” from The Washington Post

“China Slowdown Means It May Never Overtake US Economy, Forecast Shows” from Bloomberg

“Opinion | Single-use plastics are everywhere in health care. That must change.” from The Washington Post

We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. You can reach us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.