Farm operators utilizing farm labor contractors maintain
control over working conditions seeking to ensure the financial success
of their operation. Despite this shared responsibility, farm operators may argue that the
farm labor contractors they engage are the farmworkers' sole employer
responsible for compliance. Farm labor contractors are often thinly
capitalized. This means if a farmworker seeks redress for a violation,
he or she may not be able to collect from the farm labor contractors. Under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act,
joint employer liability helps ensure covered workers can also hold
liability from farm operators that share responsibility.