A large part of our society's economic success is achieved by the number of exported and domestically produced goods. An essential contribution is made by the nation's agricultural department through the sale of food crops, plants, and animals. One might expect an industry that provides necessary nourishment as well as a source of economic cushioning to consist of a large working force, but, as stated by the USDA,"hired farm workers make up less than one-percent of all US wage and salary workers". At the start of the 20th century the US had about 3.4 million hired farm workers and since, has decreased to around 1 million. Why? More developed technology, lack of interest in the field, and higher education standards. To cope with the issue at hand, farms (as well as other industries) have taken a step towards the employment of migrant workers.
Migrant workers are often times seen as a threat to US citizens because these workers are more "affordable" for businesses, thus, they "steal" jobs from citizens. The truth is, with each new generation the agricultural interest seems to lessen due to hazards, labor-intensiveness, and low-wages. Without migrant workers (they constitute 42% of the farm labor force) farms and food crops would be unable to function and, most likely, would slack in the production of economically necessary goods. If there was a lack in locally produced goods, food in markets would be more costly & less fresh, local economies wouldn't be supported & would suffer, and businesses would be forced to close. We, as citizens, should be grateful for, and, respectful of the foreign-born people who seek better income and that hope for a better living situation for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, many migrant workers see job offers as an opportunity and are blind or afraid to speak up against the mistreatment and inequalities they experience.
Most migrant workers in the US come from Latin America where education standards are much lower resulting in 30% of workers having less than a 9th grade education. Also, many are fluent in their native tongue and have not yet learned English creating a tremendous language barrier. Employers often times see these two characteristics as a reason to lower the earnings of authorized migrant workers to minimum-wage while unauthorized (illegal) workers are paid even less. The issue of low wages, as well as seasonal unemployment, leave workers living below the poverty line which is not justified by their working environment. Recent statistics state that "agricultural work has a high fatality rate, with 21.3 deaths per 100,000 workers per year, compared with the overall worker rate of 3.9." With this work, there is also a higher rate of nonfatal injuries, chronic pain, heart disease, respiratory problems, and cancers. It is inhumane and unjust to take advantage of a worker's inability to comprehend.
The hard work and dedication of migrant workers should be recognized with better working conditions as well as increased wages. These people are doing our country a favor by helping farms maintain momentum which, in turn, help keep local economies booming!
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4 comments:
I agree! I think our local farms/orchards do rely heavily on the migrant workers. They perform tedious, "back breaking" work under some of the most unpleasant conditions (weather in mind). I think it would hurt the farms/orchards tremendously to not have their work force throughout the whole process from seed, pruning, to harvesting the crops. I don't think the average worker would last at their job for more than a week!
I would have to disagree. I can see where you are coming from and I had the same view you have at one time. I recently moved from NY to TX and have a different view now. In NY there are few migrant workers, however in TX they hold all to most of the jobs. Not only do the company's and farms pay them less, it takes longer for jobs to get done, more accidents, and they "take" all of the jobs away from the American citizens. Then when an American wants a job they are forced to get paid less or have no job at all because a migrant worker will practically work for pennies. Did you ever think about it this way?
[Response to the last comment]
Prior to this blog and the research used to support my opinion I had the same feeling as you: migrant workers take job opportunities from American citizens. After looking at statistics and articles I decided that in the north eastern agricultural industry migrant workers are beneficial, but this may not hold true in different parts of the country where migrant workers are more concentrated.
It is probly easier to be excepting of a group when they are a small minority, like in upstate NY. It is hard to be excepting in southwestern cities where the "minority" can outnumber the "majority" and people find themselves having to learn a knew language just to hire a worker. This happened to a uncle of mine who had to learn spanish.
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