Fresno’s agriculture industry can lead the fight against forced labor | Opinion

Fresno County — the epicenter of California’s $59 billion agriculture industry — broke records in 2023 with $8.6 billion in agricultural output. Its farms, fields and processors help feed the nation and the world.

But behind this success is a vulnerable workforce that remains exposed to coercion, deception and exploitation.

As federal prosecutors and America’s leading diplomats in the fight against human trafficking in the Obama and Trump administrations, we’ve witnessed firsthand the devastating toll of forced labor. We have also seen the transformative power of government action no matter which political party is in power. Today, California — and Fresno in particular — have an opportunity to lead in the fight against traffickers.

We urge Fresno’s leaders, business owners and elected officials to support Assembly Bill 381. Authored by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, D-San Francisco, this bill is a moral imperative representing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to prevent abuse in our supply chains, protect workers’ dignity and set a national standard for ethical procurement.

While human trafficking and forced labor are technically illegal, California’s existing procurement laws are outdated and toothless. This means that farmers who want to do things in an ethical manner are left without clear direction.

More than $16 billion in state contracts are awarded each year, and Fresno-based companies are integral to that economy. AB 381 ensures that those public dollars aren’t quietly funding forced labor, and, instead, rewarding businesses that lead with integrity.

AB 381 brings long-overdue clarity and accountability in California’s statewide procurement policy, by providing clear definitions of trafficking, forced labor, illegal recruitment fees and subcontractor obligations.

The legislation also prohibits practices that exploit workers, like charging unlawful fees or restricting their freedom to leave; implementing mandatory compliance plans for all state contractors and subcontractors, which would ensure real oversight; and enacting guidance that would empower businesses to take swift, ethical action when abuses are discovered.

This is not bureaucracy, it’s forward-thinking reform that levels the playing field. Fresno’s honest farmers and businesses should not be undercut by those who cut corners or profit from worker abuse. AB 381 ensures that doing the right thing isn’t a competitive disadvantage.

This is also not about partisanship — it’s about leadership and American values. In an era of political division, AB 381 has earned bipartisan support because it reflects a shared belief in fairness, dignity and justice.

The status quo is indefensible. Every day that we delay action is another day that vulnerable workers may be trafficked under our watch — on our farms, in our warehouses and across our food systems.

In August, AB 381 will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee. We cannot afford for this vital legislation to stall. We must get it out of committee and onto the governor’s desk where it belongs.

Fresno has a choice to make: stay silent or lead.

We are calling on Fresno’s farmers, business leaders and public officials to choose leadership.

Exploitation has no place in our economy. AB 381 gives us the tools to end forced labor in our supply chains.