All too often, migrant and seasonal farmworkers suffer from chronic unemployment and underemployment due to the cyclical nature of the work, and the below average pay.  These workers also face significant barriers in the workplace due to low levels of education, limited English proficiency, and lack of stable housing.  

More than $78 million will be shared by 52 organizations nationwide to deliver training and support services for migrants and seasonal farmworkers and their families. In addition, more than $5.6 million is being awarded to help provide temporary or permanent farmworker housing in numerous areas.

Through this program, eligible workers have the chance to upgrade their agricultural job skills or acquire new skills in emerging industries and occupations that offer higher wages and more stable work. The program also provides crucial support services such as child care, health care, and transportation assistance which can help them take part in needed training.

These grants are one of the many ways that the Labor Department is helping workers improve and expand their professional skills. At the same time, we remain committed to enforcing our nation’s laws, so that businesses that play by the rules, don’t have to compete against those who don’t.

For years, Julian performed the incredibly hard work of harvesting onions and vegetables at a farm in upstate New York, making only $8.50 an hour. As a seasonal farm worker, the pay was barely enough to take care of his family.  He wanted to make a change, learn some new skills and start a new career that would give him the resources to support his family.

Through a program supported by the U.S. Labor Department, Julian received guidance on starting a new career as a commercial truck drive and helped him enroll in a training program to help him get the necessary certifications to start his new job.

Julian successfully completed his training, passed his road test, and received his commercial driver license and today, Julian is successfully employed by a trucking company where he now makes $20.17 per hour with benefits.

Julian’s story is a reality because of a commitment made by 50 years ago President Lyndon B. Johnson to restoring our nation’s fundamental promise of equality and opportunity. The 1964 Civil Rights Act, and the Economic Opportunity Act, signed on Aug. 20 of that year, were twin pillars of the “War on Poverty” –to extend the American Dream to those who had been unjustly excluded.

One of the key elements of the latter bill was the establishment of programs for migrant and seasonal farmworkers that would assist these workers and their families with services such as education, housing, and childcare.

Fifty years later, these Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Programs, now referred to as the National Farmworker Job Program, continues to counter the chronic unemployment and underemployment experienced by many working in agricultural labor.

NFJP services help farmworkers retain and stabilize their current agriculture jobs, as well as enable them to participate in training and enter new careers that offer higher wages and a more stable employment outlook.  Currently the department provides employment and training grants to 52 grantees in all states but Alaska and Washington DC.  The department also awards grants to various regions around the country to provide permanent and temporary housing assistance to farmworkers and their families.

Over the last half-century thousands of farmworkers like Julian have benefited from NFJP services. In 2012 over 21,000 MSFWs were served, and in the past 14 years nearly 220,000 individuals have received services.

Every day, the hard work of farmworkers across the country make it possible to put food on our tables and feed our families. The recently signed Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 reauthorizes the NFJP and reconfirms the nation’s commitment to supporting farmworkers and their families.

The department is proud to continue the long tradition of serving farmworkers and their families through employment and training opportunities, services to youth, and housing assistance.

Portia Wu is the assistant secretary of labor for employment and training.