The Watsonville Files: Everyone is trapped in a vicious cycle of failed immigration and farm policy

by: citisven

Fri Nov 25, 2011 at 13:12:32 PM PST

There are tens of thousands of children and young people in America who came to the United States as babies of parents who worked in the fields, or on construction sites, or in hotels or restaurants. These kids have grown up as Americans, they are culturally American, and they have American dreams, but they have no future. In the thirty years that I've worked on farms and ranches around California and Oregon I've gotten to know some of them well. I listen to the radio and read the news and I understand the complexity and frustrations of the immigration situation as well as most, and I'm probably more familiar with the intestinal workings of immigration enforcement better than many, but I think that it is cruel, unworkable, and actually insane to talk about deporting these young "aliens" back to countries they barely know. My wish is that we Americans summon up the integrity for an honest debate what a real and comprehensive immigration policy should be, and my dream is that we welcome these kids in before we have a huge toxic permanent underclass that brings out the worst in everybody.

- California organic farmer

By now you're probably familiar with the story of SF Kossacks' Farmworker Reality Tour a couple of Sundays ago to Watsonville, CA, organized by Dr. Ann López, founder of the Center for Farmworker Families and author of The Farmworkers' Journey. Inspired by Jill (we were all bummed she couldn't make it) and organized by navajo, it was Glen the Plumber, remembrance,  BentLiberal, catilinus, Norm, Meteor Blades and myself who made the journey to the heart of one of California's major agricultural centers to visit four different homes and "challenge us to better understand the conditions of Mexican farmworkers in Northern California by sharing in their lives, food, and living quarters."

Pesticide-Free Workplaces

by: Jill Richardson

Fri Jan 21, 2011 at 23:50:28 PM PST

I just finished writing a piece on immigrant women in the food industry for Alternet, which will hopefully be up within the week. And, of course, pesticides are not the only hazard farmworkers face. Women are routinely sexually harassed and even assaulted, workers frequently receive paychecks that reflect less work than they've actually done (and less money than they've earned), and often the workers aren't even given the dignity of a bathroom. In my own state, California, workers have died of heat exhaustion after working in triple digit heat for hours without so much as a water break. And in addition to the illegal acts committed against farmworkers, there are the unfair laws that fail to give farmworkers the same protections that workers in every other industry receive. (For example, overtime pay or child labor laws.)

Injustice on Our Plates

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Jan 03, 2011 at 01:04:15 AM PST

The report mostly focused on undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. from Latin America (mostly Mexico but also Guatemala and elsewhere), and it covers several food-related industries, mostly the meat processing industry and working in the fields. The stories it tells are heartbreaking, like an educated Mexican woman who was promised a lot of money to come to the U.S. legally and work in an office by a human trafficking operation that dumped her at a grape operation where she had to live more or less as a slave and live with 20 others in a converted chickenhouse. Or a woman who was on her way through the desert to the U.S. when the guide tried to rape her. She said, "I have AIDS," so he didn't rape her - but he left her to die in the desert.

When women are raped in the desert, they often don't complain because they are afraid the group will leave them behind to die. Once in the U.S. they often put up with sexual harassment or assault on the job because they don't know they have rights and - if they do know - they are afraid to be fired if they speak up or deported if they go to the police.

Another gender-related issue happens on the job with pay. Woman after woman who was interviewed for this study reports being underpaid or not paid at all, although that undoubtedly happens to men as well. But when a couple works in the field together, often they are both paid in one paycheck that is in the man's name. This helps employers sneak around minimum wage laws, but it also makes that woman more dependent - and thus, vulnerable to abuse - on her husband.

To hear a 30 minute interview about this report (which is VERY worth listening to), check out Melinda Hemmelgarn's Food Sleuth Radio (Dec 30, 2010 episode).

Schwartzenegger Vetoes Overtime Pay for Farmworkers

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Jul 29, 2010 at 05:35:03 AM PDT

In vetoing the measure, Schwarzenegger cited the fragile economy and said that extending overtime protections could put farms out of business, or result in lower paychecks for agricultural workers because farmers would hire more people and cut hours to avoid paying overtime.

What a jerk. I'm sorry but if a farm can't pay its workers fairly, I don't see that it deserves to be in business.

The bill's author was, of course, none other than Dean Florez. Here's how he responded:

Florez said the Republican governor sided "with a labor practice derived from the segregationist South," and that the veto means it is "acceptable to treat one class of people differently from all others."

"The governor had a chance to make history," said Florez, the son of farmworkers. "He had a chance to wipe a 70-year-old shame off the books of California. Instead, he has decided to side with the shameful."

I quite agree.

Old McDonald Got In Trouble For His Interns

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 21:13:34 PM PDT

Washington State just passed a bill that allows farmers to have interns, provided they are teaching those interns real farming skills. If they can do this, why can't we?

Human Rights in Dairies

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Aug 31, 2009 at 12:40:48 PM PDT

Between 2004 and 2007, nearly seven of every 100 dairy workers were hurt annually on average, compared to 4.5 out of 100 for all private industries. Beyond using tractors and heavy farming equipment, dairy workers interact with large, unpredictable farm animals - work that ranks among the most hazardous of all occupations, according to a 2007 article in Epidemiology. Plus, they breathe air laced with bacteria and manure dust, putting them at risk for long-term respiratory disease.

Sampler Platter 08.31.09

by: JayinPortland

Mon Aug 31, 2009 at 11:12:31 AM PDT

• Here's an excellent High Country News piece on the dangers faced by immigrant workers in the West's dairy industry.

• I really like this idea, and wonder how widespread it is?  The city of Orange, New Jersey replaces cash with cards for everybody in the school lunch line.

• This one's another great idea - Neighborhood University, neighbors coming together, sharing knowledge and building stronger communities.

• A Vancouver, B.C. journalist and urban farm consultant visits Havana, and asks what we can learn from their post-Soviet-collapse urban farming transformation.

• This piece on a Somerset County, NJ garden for the hungry reminds us again of the sad fact that hunger is everywhere, even in the fourth wealthiest county in the United States.

• Hoping fresh produce stands in stadiums catch on everywhere... but as Michael Hurwitz, director of the Greenmarkets in NYC mentions in the article, it's disappointing that right now during their season, the peaches for sale at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx come from a Los Angeles-based international produce importer and distributor.

• A Dutch engineer has developed a water footprint equation.

• From Youffraita:  Here's how some Lancaster County, PA Plain Sect farmers are coming together to form their own co-ops.

Balancing Fisheries on the Backs of Workers

by: JayinPortland

Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 09:07:30 AM PDT

With too many boats chasing too few crab, fishermen started going broke. They also -- literally -- started going under. In the scramble to catch as much of the quota as possible, boats frequently sailed into fierce Bering Sea storms, and some never returned. Between 1989 and 2005, 10 crab boats sank in the Sea, taking 51 men with them. Another 34 men were lost overboard or killed.

Let's talk about this below the fold...

Workers' Rights vs. Small Farmers in NY State

by: wide eyed lib

Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 08:53:20 AM PDT

ALBANY - What has already been a bad year for farmers could get worse if a bill requiring mandatory overtime for farmworkers is approved by the state Legislature.

On Tuesday, the state Senate's Labor Committee voted in favor of a bill that would require mandatory payment of overtime to farmworkers, require farm employers to allow at least 24 consecutive hours of rest each week, provide for an eight-hour work day for farm laborers, makes unemployment insurance and workers compensation laws apply to farm workers, and requires farm worker injuries to be reported.

The bill has moved through committee in the Assembly, where a vote could be held this week. California is the only other state with such comprehensive labor rules for farms, according to the New York State Farm Bureau. Farmers say crops can only be picked during a short period of time, and having to pay overtime for the hours required during the harvest could make harvesting crops too expensive.

In addition to the specifics outlined above, at least one of these bills gives farm workers the right to organize.

Photos from a Bronx Labor Rally: Boycott Stella D'Oro Now!

by: Eddie C

Sun May 31, 2009 at 19:41:07 PM PDT

I live in a Bronx neighborhood that is known for cookies. For my entire life I've been enjoying the sweet smell of Union Made Stella D'Oro cookies and biscuits. After the long cold winter that Brynwood Partners forced on the workers, those cookies don't smell so sweet anymore.

The owners are seeking to slash wages by as much as 25%, do away with Saturday overtime and impose a new, crushing, 20% employee contribution to worker health care benefits. They also are insisting on eliminating four holidays, one week of vacation, and all 12 paid sick days.

Yesterday there was a Solidarity rally in support of the workers who have been locked out of their jobs for the past ten months!

This was not the first rally to be ignored by the media but the turnout and the continuing community support has been very impressive.  

Pot Luck

by: JayinPortland

Tue May 05, 2009 at 19:00:00 PM PDT

• Here's one for Omir the Storyteller: the piece Jill linked to in her Sampler Platter earlier today came with a sourdough recipe.

• A nice piece from The Boston Globe - even if these kids don't end up as our next generation of farmers, it's still great that they're learning right from the start where food really comes from.

• Robert at the Denver Fair Food Blog takes a look at the reality of certain claims made by the chain restaurant Chipotle.

Use this diary as an open thread...

Old News Sampler Platter

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Apr 22, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PDT

• Former President Clinton admits "We blew it" on global food.

  Clinton said much-needed food crops were treated "like color TVs" instead of a vital commodity that could aid the world's poor.

  Soooo true. Now how you gonna clean up the mess?

• Hmm, apparently eco-friendly shrimp actually exists. Seafood lovers, take note!

• Here's a report from the UK about the role of supermarkets in sustainability.

• A must-read article about racism in slaughterhouses sent to me by TheFatLadySings.

• Another must-read, from The Rodale Institute: Organic Farming May Be the Best Route to Global Food Security.

• This past December, workers at a Smithfield plant won a MAJOR victory when they formed a union. That victory took them 16 years to accomplish.

• The World Bank's 'Wrong Advice' Left Silos Empty in Poor Countries. If these international institutions keep screwing up, does that mean that countries can stop listening to them?

• Animals can be certified organic, so how about people? One pediatrician decided to find out.

  Dr. Greene said he was inspired to go all-organic after talking to a dairy farmer who noted that livestock got sick less after a switch to organic practices. He wondered if becoming 100 percent organic might improve his own health.

  Three years later, he says he has more energy and wakes up earlier. As a pediatrician regularly exposed to sick children, he was accustomed to several illnesses a year. Now, he says, he is rarely ill. His urine is a brighter yellow, a sign that he is ingesting more vitamins and nutrients.

Get Ready to Sling Some Mud... The Employee Free Choice Act Battle Begins Today

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Mar 10, 2009 at 16:22:45 PM PDT

The Republicans and Big Business (including Agribiz) are going NUTS over this. They do NOT want this. Why? Because they want to give employers the maximum opportunity to intimidate employees to keep them from forming unions. Currently, there's an entire INDUSTRY of union-busters that employers can call on to help them prevent the formation of unions.

Big Ag Fears the Employee Free Choice Act

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Feb 24, 2009 at 16:54:11 PM PST

EFCA is a bill that will make it easier for workers to unionize. It will allow workers to form a union simply by having a majority sign a card saying they want one. This will reduce the ability of employers to intimidate workers from forming a union. EFCA will NOT take away workers' rights to a secret ballot. If 50% or more of workers do not feel comfortable signing a card in support of a union, they can still have an election by secret ballot to determine whether or not they will form a union.

Here is an article showing just how badly agricultural workers NEED the Employee Free Choice Act and card check to pass. List of coalition members below...  

Harkin will hold Senate hearing on exploited disabled workers

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 10:47:51 AM PST

Tom Harkin will schedule a hearing in the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to examine how this scandal occurred:

For 34 years, Henry's Turkey Service acted as landlord, caretaker and employer for dozens of mentally retarded men sent from Texas to Atalissa [Iowa] to work in West Liberty's meat-processing plant. The men were housed in a former schoolhouse, known as "the bunkhouse." Nine days ago, state officials shut down the bunkhouse, describing conditions there as unsafe and "deplorable."

In return for working 30 to 40 hours per week, the workers received room, board and care in the bunkhouse, plus a salary that, in some cases, averaged 44 cents an hour.

The Des Moines Register quoted Harkin describing the conditions as "pretty close to slavery."

More updates after the jump.