S. 4995: Agricultural Worker Justice Act of 2026

This bill would change labor and contracting rules in agriculture and food processing, with a focus on worker pay, safety, and compliance for businesses that receive USDA funding or contracts.

Worker pay and contracting rules

The bill would require higher pay for farmworkers employed on USDA contracts. It would also tighten labor-compliance rules for companies seeking or holding USDA-related contracts, making it harder for businesses with labor violations to qualify.

Restrictions on USDA-funded agribusinesses

The bill would prohibit stock buybacks by agribusinesses that receive USDA funding. It would also direct more USDA spending toward purchasing food from local sources.

Protections for meatpacking workers

The bill would add protections for workers in meatpacking plants. These would include limits on increases in production line speed and stronger rights related to attendance and leave, which could affect how employers manage scheduling, absences, and work pace.

Workplace safety and OSHA-related changes

The bill would require new workplace protections enforced through OSHA-related rules. These include:

• Guaranteed access to toilets
• Ergonomic standards aimed at reducing strain and repetitive-motion injuries
• Requirements for treatment of injuries on the job
• Expanded workplace inspections
• Stronger protections against retaliation for workers who report problems
• Reporting requirements related to pandemics
• More inspectors to carry out enforcement

Legal and oversight provisions

The bill would also allow private lawsuits in certain situations, giving workers another way to enforce the rules. In addition, it would require GAO studies on racial disparities in meat and poultry processing, likely to examine whether different groups of workers experience unequal conditions, treatment, or outcomes.

Relevant Companies

• TSN - Tyson Foods could be directly affected by stricter meatpacking worker rules, line-speed limits, inspection changes, and broader labor-compliance requirements.
• HRL - Hormel Foods may be impacted if the bill changes labor standards, workplace safety obligations, or processing-plant operating rules.
• SAFM - Sanderson Farms could face effects from meat and poultry processing rules, including OSHA-related requirements and limits on production practices.
• ADM - Archer-Daniels-Midland may be affected by USDA contracting rules, farm labor requirements, and restrictions on USDA-funded agribusinesses.
• BG - Bunge could be impacted if USDA funding, contracting compliance, or agribusiness buyback restrictions apply to parts of its operations.
• CF - CF Industries could be indirectly affected if the bill changes broader USDA-funded agricultural contracting or labor-compliance expectations in the farm supply chain.