Federal labor regulators last week issued a formal complaint against Rogers Behavioral Health, alleging the nonprofit illegally fired six workers at a West Allis treatment center during a union drive.
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Dairy cows huddle at sunset on a farm in Manitowoc County. NAFTA helped drive a cycle of oversupply and low milk prices that put thousands of Wisconsin dairy farms out of business. (Photo by Andrew Kennard/Wisconsin Examiner)
President Trump has an uncanny knack for speaking to problems that Americans experience —and then taking actions that make things worse.
Take international trade, which most Americans see as in need of reform. Trump talked about getting better deals and helping U.S. workers displaced by NAFTA and other global trade agreements. But instead of helping working people, he then launched a series of a trade wars that no one asked for, imposing high tariffs tht triggered retaliation and sent prices for consumer goods soaring, while alienating close allies like Canada.
The upcoming G20 ministerial meeting in Milwaukee from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1 will feature leaders from around the world coming together to discuss these matters, especially trade, making Wisconsin the stage for discussing global policy on everything from artificial intelligence to fuel prices. World leaders including Trump will have the opportunity to hear from working people, especially those who will take to the streets.
Long before Trump campaigned on the promise to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and other “bad deals” for the U.S.,, Ross Perot during his unsuccessful bid for the Presidency in 1992 said he could hear a “giant sucking sound” from NAFTA, as firms prepared to leave the U.S. for countries where they could pay workers next to nothing. That sound became deafening in Wisconsin after President Bill Clinton signed NAFTA into law in 1993.
The deal took a heavy toll on the dairy industry. Shortly before the agreement, in 1990, our state had about 34,000 operations milking cows. As of August 2026, we have for the first time dropped below 5,000 licensed dairies.
Even as the farms closed, production increased , along with exports. The US Dairy Export Council notes that export values were $656 million in 1995, climbing to $8.32 billion in 2024. Wisconsin participates in these markets sending cheese, fluid milk, and whey to Canada and Mexico mainly. Moreover, Wisconsin dairies produce about one million pounds of milk more than they did in 1995 – a 33% increase.
But more production hasn’t meant more stability. In fact, more exports have led to greater price volatility, hitting smaller farms harder because they tend to have smaller profit margins. Adding insult to injury, long before the Iran war the percent of farm expenses dedicated to fertilizer more than tripled, from about 2% in 2003 to just under 8% in 2025. Trump’s tariffs, meanwhile, leave farmers especially in Wisconsin even more vulnerable to unforeseen economic disruptions.
Amid these worsening economic conditions, Trump has campaigned on a promise to help dairy farmers, alleging that the Canadians are “ripping us off.”
But Canada’s protections for it dairy farmers are not Wisconsin dairy farmers’ problem. In fact, Wisconsin farmers have begun seeking advice from their Canadian counterparts, expressing interest in the Canadian system. Canada’s supply management system assures dairy farmers a fair price as industry stakeholders including farmers meet regularly to adjust supply and demand.
Meanwhile, Trump’s renegotiation of NAFTA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in 2019, did not stop farms from closing as bankruptcies in the Midwest continue to rise.
Global trade agreements, including those negotiated by Trump, failed to deal Wisconsin farmers and workers a better hand.
From when NAFTA was passed until it became the USMCA, Wisconsin lost nearly 10% of its industrial workforce, or over 46,000 jobs.
On a positive note, according to the High Road Strategy Center’s State of Working Wisconsin Report, years of manufacturing decline seem to be ending as 2025 boasted a record high median wage of $26.17. Unfortunately for workers, that same report finds that rising inflation will eat into wage gains and inequality is worsening because Black workers are being left behind.
Under the current global trade regime, workers find themselves between a rock and a hard place. For instance, workers at CNH Industrial in Racine and Burlington, Iowa, went on strike in 2022 for 260 days and gained a new contract in 2023. But then, workers at the Racine plant found their company announcing layoffs and plans to shift some production to Mexico in 2024.
Iconic firms in Milwaukee like Master Lock had their workforces depleted in the 1990s after NAFTA was passed and production moved south. Master Lock totally closed in the city in 2024.
Workers fed up with being treated like pawns by their corporate employers and elected political leaders will convene in Milwaukee before and during the G20 talks.
The day before talks begin, on Sept. 29, Citizen Action of Wisconsin will host a panel of folks representing farmers, labor, and the environment to discuss the current global trade regime and possible alternatives. The next day, the Milwaukee Labor Council is calling on many of these same groups to stand together and protest.
In terms of concrete demands, most of the groups attending these events support the recently introduced House Resolution 1286. With 51 co-sponsors and endorsed by multiple organizations, including Citizens Trade Campaign, the AFL-CIO, United Steelworkers (USW), International Association of Machinists (IAM Union), Sierra Club, National Family Farm Coalition, Public Citizen, and others, the Resolution calls on our leaders to include within trade deals fair wages for workers, effective anti-monopoly policies, strong environmental standards, and data protection policies and AI regulations.
Free trade deals have cost Wisconsin considerably. Thankfully, the working people hurt by these deals still have the strength to make their voices heard. It’s time for our lawmakers and the other leaders at the G20 to listen to them, and start making deals to benefit working people instead of harming them.
Nurses at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison say the health system violated federal labor law in its opposition to their unionization effort.
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I’m 32 and I’ve already had more jobs than I care to admit. In my first job after college, I joined the marketing team at a big corporation. I remember asking my manager one day, “Hey, I’ve done everything on my list. Can I help with something else?” Their response: “No.” The message was clear: stay in your lane.
After that, I tried other roles, including operations, sales, construction and custodial work. Like many of my peers, I was searching for a place where I could grow and keep learning. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was looking for the right culture.
Then, two years ago, I saw a job posting at DSG, a wholesale contractor supply company based in the Midwest. I remembered a college coach who worked for DSG. He seemed to have a great experience there. DSG had a training program, so I decided it was worth a try, even without experience in contractor supply. I had run out of other ideas.
That was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve turned off all my old job alerts because I hope to work here until I retire. I believe I’ll keep improving my skills and moving upward even if I’m here for decades, and my co-workers will value creativity and unconventional ideas.
We’re 100% employee-owned through an employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP. It’s a retirement plan that allows companies to share ownership with workers. Our employee ownership culture is the secret ingredient that makes me excited to stay here for the next 30 years.
When I started, I didn’t know anything about ESOPs or what being “employee-owned” meant. During my orientation, my manager showed me our company’s ESOP retirement wealth calculator. If I stayed at the company long enough, I could accumulate generational wealth for myself and my family without contributing a cent to my ESOP account. From year one to year two, my ESOP account balance grew by more than 200%.
From the start, DSG’s training program encouraged me to get involved in every aspect of the business. Instead of a “that’s not my job” attitude, my co-workers went out of their way to answer my questions and help me learn. They celebrated when I got involved outside my direct job and listened to my ideas. When the training program ended, DSG hired me full time as an inventory planning analyst. I learned that this welcoming environment was the norm across the company.
As employee owners, we all have an interest in doing our best and helping others excel. For example, all 63 of our branches share inventory. Rather than compete, we cooperate. We know the savings across the organization benefit our finances in the long run. I also travel for my job. Instead of using company funds to buy expensive meals on the road, my co-owners in other branches have invited me over for home-cooked dinners. By doing what’s best for each other and the company now, we all reap the rewards in our ESOP accounts later.
Most importantly, it’s not just people with college degrees who are building generational wealth. Whether we’re working with spreadsheets, driving delivery trucks or loading equipment in the warehouse, we have the same opportunity to change the trajectory of our financial futures. No matter the position, background or education level, each full-time employee at DSG gets an ESOP retirement plan.
I’ve read studies that found companies with ESOPs tend to have higher employee retention and withstand economic downturns better than non-employee-owned companies, but there are only 240 ESOPs in Wisconsin. Still, momentum is building.
The Expanding ESOPs coalition is building a movement of nearly 100 organizations focused on expanding employee ownership in Wisconsin and beyond.
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., previously introduced H.R. 3105, the Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2025. The bill would help small businesses establish S corporation employee stock ownership plans (S ESOPs), provide technical assistance to companies pursuing S ESOPs and create an employee ownership advocate within the U.S. Department of Labor.
Two years ago, I took a chance and applied for a position meant for recent college grads. I knew nothing about ESOPs. I thought it would be just another job. I couldn’t be happier that I was wrong. If employee ownership can have that kind of impact on me, imagine the impact of having more ESOP companies in Wisconsin.
Conner Scott lives in Eau Claire with his wife and two sons. He is an SIOP analyst at DSG, which has locations across Wisconsin.
Guest opinion: Why Wisconsin needs more employee-owned companies is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
A recent attack on Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democratic nominee for governor, accuses him of being in the pocket of “data center special interests.”
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Nurses at 10 outpatient clinics in Dane County are working to unionize, saying they were inspired by a similar effort at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison.
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A former employee of an Epic Systems subsidiary is challenging the company’s noncompete agreements in a federal court in California.
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National Labor Relations Board staff certified the union election late last month after nurses voted 511-63 to unionize with the Service Employees International Union of Wisconsin.
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The National Labor Relations Board has certified the union election for hundreds of nurses at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison.
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Ahead of the vote, the health system challenged the eligibility of the hospital’s charge nurses to vote in the election. And after the vote, SSM filed objections to the conduct of the election with the National Labor Relations Board.
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Businesses say they are facing staffing challenges because many of the foreign workers they rely on through the summer tourism season haven’t arrived.
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The November Farm Foundation® Forum, Growing Together: Trends and Transformation in U.S. Agriculture Labor, highlighted some of the findings from a recent multi-day symposium that explored the future of the U.S. agricultural workforce. The symposium, held by Farm Foundation and the Economic Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, aimed to convene a network of researchers and stakeholders to engage in productive discussions focused on farm labor issues. The primary goal was to strengthen and enhance ongoing farm labor research.
This forum highlighted the critical importance of farm labor to the competitiveness of US agriculture, particularly for labor-intensive commodities like fruits and vegetables. The discussion was moderated by Michael Marsh, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, and featured panelists: Philip Martin Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Davis; Andrew Padovani, senior research associate with JBS International; and Alexandra Hill, assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
The Forum covered a wide range of topics, including wage rates and competition, legislative and regulatory challenges, litigation and legal actions, mechanization and labor alternatives, and economic and demographic trends.
One point brought up was that there has been no significant agricultural labor reform since 1986, making it difficult to address current labor issues. Farmers must also contend with many new regulations, including those related to wage rates and worker protection. The impact of the Adverse Effect Wage Rate and competition with countries like Mexico was also discussed.
One solution to rising labor costs is a push toward mechanization, which brings about its own set of questions around adaptation to this change. In some cases, robotic harvesters are not yet fast enough or inexpensive enough to replace human hand pickers, but the gap may be closing fastest for crops like apples.
The H2-A program was also a large part of the discussion. The use of H-2A workers is increasing, but the program’s costs and regulatory requirements are significant. The anticipated impacts of the incoming administration on the potential for ag labor reform was also briefly discussed during audience question and answer session.
Overall, the Forum underscored the urgent need for comprehensive agricultural labor reform to ensure the sustainability and competitiveness of US agriculture. The discussions highlighted the complex interplay of wage rates, regulatory challenges, and the need for mechanization and alternative labor sources.
The two-hour discussion, including the audience question and answer session, was recorded and is archived on the Farm Foundation website.
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Farmworkers play an “essential role in keeping food on our tables,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack during opening remarks at a symposium held September 17-19, 2024, in Santa Cruz, California. The three-day event, “The Changing Landscape of Farm Labor Conditions in the United States: What the Future Holds and How to Prepare for It,” was hosted by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) and Farm Foundation. The symposium consisted of a two-day conference plus a one-day farm tour centered around the theme of U.S. agricultural labor conditions, challenges, and solutions. Dr. Jessica Crowe, chief of the Rural Economy Branch at the USDA’s ERS, along with ERS’s farm labor team, organized the event along four key themes:
In her opening remarks, ERS Assistant Administrator Kelly Maguire stressed that although critical to the Nation’s food security, “farm work is potentially hazardous and ERS data show that farmworkers receive lower wages when compared with nonsupervisory workers outside of agriculture.” Complicating the issue, both the private and government sector will need to “accelerate adaptation to a changing landscape of farm labor,” said Maguire. This will be necessary for the United States to remain competitive as a producer of labor-intensive commodities like fruit and vegetables, she said.
The symposium’s opening remarks continued with Secretary Vilsack highlighting that “the USDA, Department of Labor, and employers can all play a role in addressing systemic challenges” while emphasizing the importance of building “a system that works for everyone… by creating value and opportunity for employers and farmworkers.”
In his keynote address, Dr. Philip Martin, professor emeritus at the University of California-Davis, outlined three responses to rising farm labor costs: an increase in mechanization, an increase in the number of migrant workers with H-2A visas, and an increase in imported produce. However, questions remain as to the extent machines can lessen labor needs by commodity, the number of workers the U.S. will need in the future and where they will come from, and whether the U.S. can import more fruits and vegetables from Mexico, Central and South America.
After opening remarks, the first day’s sessions focused on the changing farm labor force, farmworker wages, workplace safety, and farmworker health. Presenters described the changing demographics of domestic crop workers as one that is aging, increasingly coming from Southern Mexico, and more likely to have at least one chronic health condition. In addition, the number of farmworkers on migrant H-2A visas continues to increase. Several speakers discussed farmworker wages from the perspective of the farmworker and farm owner. Audience members contributed to these discussions by considering how high costs of housing factor into the discussion on wages. With respect to H-2A wages, Dr. Zach Rutledge, assistant professor at Michigan State University, discussed the adverse effect wage rate (AEWR) including how the AEWR is calculated, problems with its calculation, whether the rate is too low or too high, and how changes to the AEWR would affect H-2A and non-H-2A farm wages.
Speakers discussed the impact of farmworkers being excluded from many federal workplace protection laws on farmworker well-being. State laws are patchwork with some states providing more protection for farmworkers than other states. For example, six states have implemented (or are finalizing) heat standards for agricultural workers while three states have regulations in place for wildfire smoke. Despite agricultural workers having fewer workplace protections at the federal level than other occupations, farmworkers are exposed to hazardous conditions including extreme weather, wild animals, hazardous plants, dangerous tools, hazardous chemicals, and poor living conditions. These risks found in the workplace can lead to injuries and illnesses that are often left untreated until the problem becomes severe. Dr. Brenda Berumen assistant professor at Texas State University, described several barriers that farmworkers face to seeking medical treatment including the high cost of care, unpaid sick leave to receive treatment (resulting in lost wages), long travel times to receive certain health services, and a lack of information and resources (including information in their native language).
The sessions on the second day focused on workforce development, technology, and the H-2A visa program. Advances in technological aids in orchards and fields, such as platforms used in apple orchards, can increase labor productivity while reducing injuries associated with previous picking methods. However, adoption rates are slow as the structure and architecture of existing orchards and fields have to adapt to the new technology. In addition, robotics in fields and orchards are continuing to advance, but have a ways to go before the technology is efficient enough to be cost effective. However, patents for artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture have increased substantially in the past few years. It is yet to be seen how the increase in agricultural AI will impact farm labor.
The H-2A visa program is an increasing source of temporary agricultural labor. Presenters discussed the problems of the program, including scams and illegal fees associated with the recruitment of migrant workers, lack of oversight and accountability for employers who break laws tied to H-2A, and the tethering of farmworkers to employers by visa status. While speakers and audience members debated the impacts of H-2A wages on farmworkers and employers, overall, symposium attendees agreed that H-2A is a significant program that employers increasingly seek out to secure farm labor. Furthermore, attendees agreed that problems exist that can result in exploitation of farmworkers, during recruitment and employment. Dr. Kelly Maguire closed the symposium by thanking those involved who organized the three-day event, including the interpreters, reflecting on what was learned through formal and informal conversations, and encouraging attendees to continue to build on newly formed relationships and to nurture new perspectives and information gained during the symposium.
This post-event summary of “The Changing Landscape of Farm Labor Conditions in the United States: What the Future Holds and How to Prepare for It” symposium was written by Dr. Jessica Crowe, chief of the Rural Economy Branch in the Resource and Rural Economy Division in the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).
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Although critical to the nation’s food security, farm work is potentially hazardous, farmworkers receive lower wages when compared with nonsupervisory workers outside agriculture, and many hired farm workers lack legal work authorization and access to basic public services. For the United States to remain competitive as a producer of fruit, vegetables, and other labor-intensive commodities both private and government institutions will need to accelerate adaptation to a changing landscape of farm labor.
An upcoming conference on farm labor seeks to strengthen ongoing farm labor research by convening and developing a network of researchers and stakeholders. The Changing Landscape of Farm Labor Conditions in the United States: What the Future Holds and How to Prepare for It conference will take place September 17 to 19, 2024, in Santa Cruz, California.
The conference is presented by the USDA Economic Research Service and Farm Foundation. It will cover four key themes: trends in the farm labor force, including worker migration and the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Program; labor costs, farm worker conditions, and workforce development.
Visit https://farmfoundation.swoogo.com/farmlabor for more information and to register.
The post Upcoming Farm Labor Conference Tackles Critical Issues appeared first on Farm Foundation.
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