Ep 151 Tense Time for Growers and Farm Workers

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On this episode, a conversation with Mike Gempler, the executive director of the Washington Growers League, a nonpartisan organization that advocates on behalf of agricultural employers.

Gempler says these are anxious times for growers in Washington state. Many are concerned about the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants and the potential negative impact on the workforce needed to harvest crops.

Another major worry: tariffs. With the international trade war showing no signs of ending, uncertainty looms over growers’ access to global markets.

Gempler weighs in on these issues, as well as the urgent need for reform of the nation’s immigration system.

Read: https://southseattleemerald.org/voices/2025/07/22/masked-men-are-detaining-people-when-will-washingtons-leaders-protect-us

Read: https://nieman.harvard.edu/mark-trahant-wins-the-2025-i-f-stone-medal-for-journalistic-independence/

Read: https://www.24thstreet.org/blog/2025/1/17/letting-go

Read:https://www.amazon.com/Harbingers-January-Charlottesville-American-Democracy/dp/1586424017

Read: https://www.mapresearch.org/2024-dei-report "Dismantling DEI: A Coordinated Attack on American Values"

https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/01/07/these-companies-have-rolled-back-dei-policies-mcdonalds-is-latest-to-abandon-diversity-standards/

https://www.chronicle.com/package/the-assault-on-dei Chronicle of Higher Education

https://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/supreme/bios/?fa=scbios.display_file&fileID=gonzalez

Read: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/obituaries/chinatown-international-district-activist-matt-chan-dead-at-71/

Hear Rick Shenkman on the BBC Radio Program Sideways:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001xdg0

Read: https://www.thedailybeast.com/i-stuck-with-nixon-heres-why-science-said-i-did-it

Read: https://www.washcog.org/in-the-news/your-right-to-know

Read: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/the-legislatures-sunshine-committee-has-fallen-into-darkness/

Read: https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2024/feb/2...