One group of workers in Maine still doesn’t have access to basic protections like minimum wage

“Labor day is a reminder that we can build an economy that works for all of us.” says Garrett Martin, the President and CEO for the Maine Center for Economic Policy.

He says in our modern economy, there are many labor rules that we take for granted and don’t think twice about. “The 40 hour work week minimum wage laws and now, more recently, paid leave are all rights and privileges that most workers have, unfortunately, farm workers don’t.”

Martin Says the reason why farm workers aren’t treated like other workers started in the early 1900s when federal labor laws were being passed. Farm workers were cut out of the protections in order to secure the votes of southern democrats. “The legacy of that also means that today in Maine, farm workers are four and a half times more likely to live in poverty than all other workers.”

Click here to read the full story, first published September 3, 2024 in WVII.