An updated handbook provides information on employment and housing rights for migrant dairy workers in Vermont.
The guide, available online and in print in English and Spanish, was developed by Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) in partnership with Migrant Justice, a Vermont-based human rights organization founded and led by immigrant farmworkers.
Student interns and staff at CAFS updated Housing and Employment Rights for Vermont Dairy Workers in response to frequently asked questions from dairy workers and organizers.
The handbook addresses topics including housing safety and privacy, wages, workplace safety and medical care, and underage workers.
Farmworkers face some of the most dangerous working conditions in the country, and lack of access to justice can magnify the risks.
“Accessing legal information can be difficult for migrant workers on Vermont’s dairy farms,” said CAFS’ Senior Research Fellow Emily Spiegel. “We are proud to partner with Migrant Justice to help workers understand their rights.”
The guide also includes resource lists for both workers and farm employers.
To read the guide online in English or Spanish, visit bit.ly/vtdairyworkershandbook.
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Migrant Justice builds the voice, capacity, and power of the farmworker community and engages community partners to organize for economic justice and human rights. Visit migrantjustice.net for more information.
Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) uses law and policy to build a more sustainable and just food system. With local, regional, national, and international partners, CAFS addresses food system challenges related to food justice, food security, farmland access, animal welfare, worker protections, the environment, and public health, among others. CAFS works closely with its partners to provide legal services that respond to their needs and develop resources that empower the communities they serve. Visit vermontlaw.edu/cafs to learn more.
Vermont Law and Graduate School, a private, independent institution, is home to a law school that offers ABA-accredited residential and online hybrid JD programs and a graduate school that offers master’s degrees and certificates in multiple disciplines, including programs offered by the Maverick Lloyd School for the Environment, the Center for Justice Reform and other graduate-level programs emphasizing the intersection of environmental justice, social justice and public policy. Both the law and graduate schools strongly feature experiential clinical and fieldwork learning. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu.