Here is an example of a community-based organization and an employers association joining forces to bolster employee protections and rights of farm workers in Florida. They conduct audits to check for compliance with a code of conduct. Audit scope includes forced labor, child labor, discrimination, wages and benefits, employment records, healthy and safe work environment, and housing.
An executive of a farming corporation told me that
Their auditors were very professional and knowledgeable and really dug into our operations for hiring, screening, training, payroll, benefits, safety, insurance, chemical handling, housing, etc. They also conducted interviews with 50+ employees. Oh yeah, the SAFE audit is conducted annually to maintain your certification.
According to SAFE….
SAFE was formed in 2005 by the Redlands Christian Migrant Association and the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association…. to provide a transparent and credible source of independent, third-party certification of labor practices for farm employers…. SAFE certification signifies that a producer has complied with implementing the principles SAFE’s farm employer Code of Conduct. SAFE is a positive development for the industry and for farmworkers because it will validate the good labor practices that the vast majority of growers already follow.
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association is in Maitland, FL 321-214-5200
The Redlands Christian Migrant Association was founded Oct. 1, 1965, by Mennonite Church volunteers in the Redlands farming area of southern Miami-Dade County to provide a safe, nurturing environment for children while their parents worked in the fields. It annually provides child care and development services to these families in 51 child development centers and family day care home networks. It is one of the largest community-based organizations serving the farmworker community in Florida.
Its headquarters are located at Immokalee, FL (800) 282-6540