Washington rejects plea to ban bunk beds in farmworker housing
In Washington, where many farmers rely on migrant workers to harvest their crops, a judge has rejected a lawsuit brought by labor unions and advocates to make their housing safer. The lawsuit asked the state to ban bunk beds in employer-provided housing, saying the close conditions contribute to the spread of Covid-19. (They’re right.) Grower groups including the American Farm Bureau intervened, saying the ban would cut their capacity to host migrant workers in half, and devastate their employers financially. Maybe so, but that doesn’t make it right. Last month, Oregon banned bunk beds for the migrant workers who pass through to pick apples, pears, and strawberries.
