Agricultural workers deserve the same workplace protections as all other workers. But in Pennsylvania, the state specifically excludes them from the protections of the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act. This means that workers classed as agricultural workers who wish to organize with other workers, join a union, or protest abusive working conditions could be fired for doing so.
The exclusion of agricultural workers from the PLRA not only reduces the power of those classed as agricultural laborers. It also makes things harder for the food workforce as a whole by limiting the collective pressure they can put on their employers.
The United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 1776 Keystone State filed this lawsuit to end this exception, alleging in the suit that the exclusion of agricultural workers from the PLRA violates multiple parts of the Pennsylvania Constitution, including Equal Protection guarantees, the prohibition against special laws, and the prohibition against discrimination based on race and ethnicity. This case is co-counseled by FarmSTAND; Willig, Williams & Davidson; and Local 1776.