Florida Bishops: “Honor the Work, Support Change for Farmworkers” 

 

Tallahassee - The Catholic bishops of Florida issued today a pastoral letter calling on all Floridians to support changes in the conditions of people who work in seasonal manual labor, especially in agriculture. 

Honoring the Dignity of Work: A Call for Solidarity with Florida’s Farmworkers and Other Vulnerable Workers describes both “progress and stasis” in the conditions of Florida’s farmworkers. It identifies “hopeful signs of solidarity” toward farmworkers, but also notes that abuses of vulnerable workers now occur in many Florida industries where a largely undocumented and unprotected workforce does seasonal, manual, contract labor.

Speaking on behalf of all the bishops of the Florida Catholic Conference, Bishop John H. Ricard SSJ (Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee) said, “If we, as a society, start with real respect for the workers and their contributions, then from that will flow a commitment to assure that their work conditions, wages, housing, workplace safety, and children's opportunities are those that would be consistent with respect.” 

Emphasizing that growers and farmworkers are similarly impacted by current market trends, the bishops stated: “Those at the top of the supply chain appropriate power and profits to themselves, while pushing risks and costs to the growers and farmworkers below.” 

The letter calls upon state leaders to “consider the human ramifications of the trade policies they support, including the impact on growers and farmworkers in the United States and abroad” and to “advocate with federal officials…in order to reduce market distortions that harm growers and farmworkers.”  The bishops also reiterate their strong support for comprehensive immigration reform.

Noting that most agricultural employers are “people of good will,” the letter urges the industry’s leaders to set high expectations for their peers and to welcome input from workers.  “The abuses that appear in the news, tainting the reputation of an entire industry, are injustices that flourish because workers’ organizations are weak, and workers fearful. …Empowered workers would help reduce the shadowy spaces in which some unscrupulous people currently thrive.”

In separate sections, the letter offers ways that families, parishes, Catholic institutions, farmers, and public officials should take action to change the status quo for the good.  They conclude by urging people not to be “blind consumers, ignorant and unconcerned about the labor and market processes that sustain our human needs.  All of us have a responsibility to see the situations in our midst and to support change.”

The bishops dedicated the letter to Bishop John Nevins of the Diocese of Venice for his decades of pastoral care and advocacy for farmworkers and their families.