California agriculture relies on illegal immigrants, silence

[underpants]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/11/14/103708/illegal-immigrants-form-backbone.html


The truth is, though, Zamora doesn't hire Americans. Farm labor contractors and most other employers in the Valley's multibillion-dollar agriculture industry rely almost exclusively on immigrants — mostly illegal immigrants.

Employers hire them as long as they have a forged Social Security card and a green card, which can be bought for less than $100 through a vast underground industry of fake-document vendors in the Central Valley.


The system works well for farmers and farmworkers — as well as many restaurants, hotels and construction companies. But many innocent legal residents are hurt because document counterfeiters often hijack their Social Security numbers.

Agriculture employers often say they can't tell whether the cards are real — but hardly any use a voluntary government online program that helps detect fakes. They say that if they did, they would go out of business. Says Zamora: "I'd end up with no people."


"It's a game — a big game," said Joseph Riofrio, a city councilman in the western Fresno County farmworker town of Mendota, where perhaps a third of the residents are illegal immigrants. "But it's a necessary game. If this game doesn't continue, then the fruit isn't picked, the vegetables aren't picked, and the vibrant agriculture industry stops."

[rucky]

1. They're not even trying to recruit citizens.

Tired argument that nobody else will do the work. How many times have you seen a job listing for farm worker? I was unemployed for a year and found exactly zero, even though I'm surrounded by farms.

[hunter]

8. Citizen workers have rights.

That makes them unemployable.

Undocumented workers are easily replaced and don't complain.

In mega-corporate-fascism-world citizen workers would have the same rights as undocumented workers and there would be no immigration problem because all workers would be equally disposable.

Can't work any more? Sick, old, worn out from back breaking labor and toxins in the workplace?

Go home and die. The mega-corporation is done with you.

[FreakinDJ]

2. Illegal Worker = No Insurance, No Benifits, No Taxes Paid

When are people going to realize the workers are not cheating - THE EMPLOYER IS

[BlueIris]

3. "(T)he workers are not cheating - THE EMPLOYER IS."

Exactly.

[SpiralHawk]

4. All American Ag (and food) rests of the backs of immigrants

The relatively inexpensive food we eat is the result of their labor...the farm worker issue is huge...Republicon-TeaBaggers are so full of crap when they whine about immigrants...

[KharmaTrain]

5. This Game Has Never Changed...

...and a reason the GOTB demonizes Hispanics and are against any true immigration reform. Many of those owners (especially the corporate farms) are heavy rushpublican donors. Keeping the labor force underground allows them to pay low wages with no benefits and from organizing. They also skirt paying taxes and benefits leaving the health care and other services to the local taxpayers. It's a great distraction that allows the big ag conglomerates to make profits and keep the focus on the worker rather than the employer. I've long said that if ICE or INS would fine each employer $10k a day for each undocumented worker found in the fields, they'd straighten up in a hurry.

Another right wing big lie is how the Hispanics flood here like by magic. They come here cause they get better wages here than they do in their desolate country...and since our economy has tanked, the demand and the flow has slowed. But it still makes a nice political boogie man.

[fasttense]

6. Even the organic farmers use slave labor, I mean illegal immigrant labor,

Ever wonder how some of those huge organic farms in California can sell their produce so cheaply? Well they hire illegals and pretend otherwise.

Buy local and talk to the farmer.

This makes me wonder about the intellectual honesty of some people who write agriculture articles: "But it's a necessary game. If this game doesn't continue, then the fruit isn't picked, the vegetables aren't picked, and the vibrant agriculture industry stops."

Really, the only way to pick fruits and vegetables is to underpay illegal immigrants? Really? There is no possible alternative method?

Here's an idea. A vast network of small farmers, growing and harvesting their own produce. Do we really need factory farms?

[XemaSab]

7. How much do people in the rest of the country

really want to pay for a head of lettuce, or a tomato? Or asparagus or artichokes? Or any kind of tree nut? Or any one of three dozen other crops?

Part of what makes factory farms in California work is the efficiency in packaging and shipping delicate produce, so the rest of the country can get it at a reasonable price.

I totally agree that we should be MORE local, but California's biggest industry is agriculture because the rest of the country (and world, for some crops) just can't grow a lot of stuff we grow here when we grow it.

[dkf]

9. Are you saying American workers are incapable of efficiently getting this done?

Is that a slam on the American worker?

[XemaSab]

11. fasttense said:

"Here's an idea. A vast network of small farmers, growing and harvesting their own produce. Do we really need factory farms?"

I was playing devil's advocate and arguing for the efficiency of the factory farm.

But I can also play devil's advocate and say that cheap Mexican labor keeps prices down too.

To be forthright, it's hard as a lifelong Californian to understand what produce demand and availability is in other parts of the country. I think that small farms all across the country would be a good idea, but large-scale, mechanized ag will never go away.

[dkf]

12. Pricing is artificially low.

If we want legal workers and a legal process prices will need to go up.

[funkskunk]

10. how to tackle the issue ?

"Employers hire them as long as they have a forged Social Security card and a green card, which can be bought for less than $100 through a vast underground industry of fake-document vendors in the Central Valley."

The issue should be tackled from the very beginning. It if wasn't that easy to get a green card or a fake social security number, then there would be way less people working illegaly and most of the time in very very bad conditions. Sadly this isn't just a US problem.

[hunter]

13. Anyone who works here should get a green card.

Raising the minimum wage, strictly enforcing labor protections and improving working conditions, aggressive unionization, and increased funding of public health care and education makes the problems go away by taking all the profits out of hiring "disposable" undocumented workers.