Farmworkers endure long hours of work for little pay, as well as harsh working conditions and exposure to dangerous pesticides. Approximately half of all farmworkers in the U.S. live and work in the state of California, but there are farmworkers in the Pacific Northwest who work in the apples, hops, asparagus, and cherry harvests. Farmworkers in Ohio pick tomatoes and cucumbers, in North Carolina they harvest tobacco, and in Florida they work in the mushrooms, oranges, and tomatoes. While some farmworkers live in regular apartments or houses, many live in company-owned labor camps. Sometimes no rent is charged, but most workers pay to live in labor camps, often crowded 3 or 4 people to a small room.
Conditions are often unsanitary and offer little or no privacy.
There are camp managers who act as the eyes and ears of the company, observing which workers raise complaints, and which workers discuss the option of organizing into a union to improve their living and working conditions. Dangerous Pesticides Farmworkers are exposed to pesticides on a regular basis, including pesticides which cause cancer. Farmworkers routinely mix and apply pesticides with little or no knowledge of the chemical they are working with, and how it could affect their health. Few farmworkers raise complaints about these dangerous chemicals for fear of retaliation such as reduced hours of work, or being fired and evicted from company owned housing. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is active in Florida.