At Farmworker Legal Services (FLS), we fight for justice and dignity alongside the farmworker community.
Michigan’s farmworker community is estimated to include over 70,000 active farmworkers in the state each year as well as their household members. Farmworkers have unique barriers and specialized legal needs that arise from the temporary and transitory nature of their work in agriculture. (See Michigan Farmworker Population for more information about Michigan’s agricultural workforce). For example, farmworkers regularly are required to work over 40 hours per week in isolated locations without regular access to cell service; and agricultural work is exempt from many federal, state, and local laws, leaving workers without paid time off and unable to access services within normal business hours.
In 1997, FLS was established as a statewide legal resource center committed to ensuring seasonal, temporary, and year-round farmworkers’ access to justice. Since 1997, FLS has provided effective outreach, community legal education, coordinated service delivery, and a full range of civil legal services to eligible farmworkers and their dependents. FLS prioritizes cases including wage theft, trafficking, discrimination, sexual harassment, workplace health and safety, and housing security. However, through our extensive network of community partnerships, community education, and outreach, FLS is able to connect farmworker households to the wide range of free civil legal services available to all low-income households in Michigan.
For over 25 years, FLS has:
- Conducted outreach to farmworkers at their housing sites to ensure they have access to information about their rights and the laws in Michigan, such as car seat requirements;
- Distributed Farmworker Calendars full of important information about Michigan laws impacting agricultural workers and helpful local resources;
- Presented and trained community partners on the unique barriers and specialized legal needs of farmworkers;
- Offered technical assistance, general information, and referrals to community partners;
- Staffed the Farmworker Hotline, providing technical assistance and a seamless intake process for low-wage agricultural workers with civil legal questions; and
- Represented farmworkers in cases involving unlawful recruitment fees, wage theft, substandard housing or working conditions, retaliation, and other exploitative schemes that impact their ability to escape violence and poverty.
FLS remains committed to ensuring farmworkers have equal access justice in Michigan. Follow us on Facebook at Farmworker Legal Services to see examples of our clients’ stories, updates for farmworkers, and upcoming community engagement and collaboration opportunities.
- Outreach requests: tgarcia@farmworkerlaw.org.
- Media requests: communications@farmworkerlaw.org.
- Representation requests