Agricultural Worker Justice Act of 2026

Key Points

• USDA can only buy meat and food from companies that pay workers the local prevailing wage, and those companies cannot buy back their own stock or pay dividends while receiving USDA money.
• The government cannot let meatpacking plants run faster production lines unless safety officials inspect and certify it will not harm worker safety. Plants must also guarantee bathroom access and prompt medical treatment after injuries.
• Employers are barred from using no fault attendance systems that punish workers for taking legally protected leave, such as sick time or family medical leave.
• Workers gain the right to sue employers directly for safety violations, and the bill appropriates $60 million a year through 2031 to hire more OSHA inspectors. Threatening to report a worker's immigration status for raising safety concerns is treated as illegal retaliation.
• Companies must disclose past labor and safety law violations before getting USDA contracts, and repeat violators can be placed on an ineligible list. USDA must also publicly report every entity that receives its funding.