Despite economy, Americans don't want $10.25 hour farm work

[Liberal_in_LA]

Despite economy, Americans don't want farm work
By GARANCE BURKE, Associated Press Writer

Associated Press September 27, 2010 08:57

(09-27) 08:57 PDT Visalia, Calif. (AP) --

As the economy tanked during the past two years, a debate has raged over whether immigrants are taking jobs that Americans want. Here, amid the sweltering vineyards of the largest farm state, the answer is no.

Most Americans simply don't apply for jobs harvesting fruits and vegetables in California, where one of every eight people is out of work, according to government data for a federal seasonal farmworker program analyzed by The Associated Press.

And the few unemployed Americans who apply through official channels usually don't stay on in the fields, a point comedian Stephen Colbert — dressed as a field hand — has alluded to in recent broadcasts on Comedy Central.

"It's just not something that most Americans are going to pack up their bags and move here to do," said farmer Steve Fortin, who pays $10.25 an hour to foreign workers to trim strawberry plants for six weeks each summer at his nursery near the Nevada border.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/09/27/financial/f063017D17.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz10lB9BOLY

[SoCalDem]

1. "...six weeks each summer..."

Americans want full time jobs...that are not migratory.

[Spike89]

2. Nailed it!

It isn't the pay, it isn't the hard labor, it is the transitory, migrant, and no-future nature of the job. Who can afford to move every 6 weeks? How do you raise a family on 6 weeks a year work (or as a migrant--it may take your entire 6 week stay just to get you kids into school). Who will give you a car loan, when your last job ended after less than 2 months and your current one will too?
The part that never gets mentioned in these stories is that it may take a couple days to find that job, driving around, applying, etc. By the time you figure that, add in either sleeping in your car/vehicle, paying for a long commute, or paying for a cheap hotel (temp farm jobs are almost always remote, and you can't really move close to a job that moves around) you're better off working for less money in fast food.
Migrant farm labor just barely makes sense for the most desperate (undocumented workers), and they only survive it because they have a social infrastructure and can count somewhat on each other.