A New Jersey Superior Court judge has denied the State’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit challenging discriminatory wage and overtime exclusions that deny farmworkers the same protections as other workers.
The lawsuit, filed by the ACLU of New Jersey and partner organizations on behalf of CATA, argues that excluding farmworkers from equal wage and overtime protections violates the New Jersey Constitution.
Why does this matter?
• Farmworkers are paid lower wages than other NJ workers
• They are denied equal overtime protections
• The vast majority are immigrants and people of color who have faced decades of systemic exclusion
As Jessica Culley, General Coordinator at CATA, shared, this ruling is “just the beginning of vindicating the rights of farmworkers in New Jersey who have faced decades of wage discrimination,” especially at a time when immigrant communities are experiencing heightened enforcement and harm.
This decision doesn’t end the case — but it allows the lawsuit to move forward, bringing New Jersey one step closer to economic, racial, and workplace justice for farmworkers who sustain our food system.
