California Growers Lose Bumper Crop of Immigrant Farmers

Los Angeles Times ^ | Wednesday, August 24, 2005 | Solomon Moore

[Singermom]

California's farm labor contractors and growers are struggling to find enough workers for the summer harvests because tougher border enforcement and competition from the booming construction industry and other sectors are shrinking agriculture's primary workforce: Mexican illegal immigrants.

"We're better paid in construction," he said. "We don't have to work in the heat. We have shade. We have water. And even if I have a half-day's work, I'll get paid for the full day."

[Singermom]

Now it seems the jobs that Americans "don't want to do' have become the jobs Mexicans don't want to do. Of course they do not want to pick crops when they can get better paying jobs in construction or other better paying industries.

If Mexicans do not pick crops someone will invent a machine that does. After all that's why the plantation owners wanted slaves. After the slaves were no longer exploitable the cotton gin (invented 1793) was invented and there was no longer a need for slaves to pick the cotton. The same holds true for the Illegal Immigrants of today.

Also, when their Illegal Immigrant children graduated from college do you really think they will want to pick crops OR will they go after your job?

[SouthernFreebird]

They've been picking the jobs and not the produce here for a long time now. So now California can pay out the butt for taking care of them and get no cheap labor in return.

[Rodney King]

Good. Let's throw every able-bodied person off of welfare and let them go and pick grapes in california.

[ncountylee]

Seal the border today, then develope a guest worker program.

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[xrp]

Huh? The cotton gin didn't pick the cotton. The cotton gin separates the seeds and their hull from the fibers. Slaves still picked cotton 60-70 years after the invention of the cotton gin.

[KarlInOhio]

After the slaves were no longer exploitable the cotton gin (invented 1793) was invented and there was no longer a need for slaves to pick the cotton.

1. The cotton gin wasn't for picking cotton, it was for separating seeds from the cotton fibers.

2. 1793 is well before 1865.

[Sterco]

You can bet they are undercutting the wages of some tax-paying citizen in the process. That is just wonderful isn't it. Then they send a large portion of that money back to Mexico. They will live three families to a house and make what once was a nice neighborhood into a dump. Wonderful thing this cheap labor. Hopefully someday some people will answer for it.

[Fitzcarraldo]

I have a marginally employed daughter who could use some sun and exercise...

[NormsRevenge]

Petitions ARE Available NOW!!!

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[spectre]

"Also, when their Illegal Immigrant children graduate from college do you really think they will want to pick crops OR will they go after your job?

It's worse than that. A College Degree won't be worth a hill of beans, when OUR kids have to compete against those who are bilingual.

sw

[Iron Matron]

There is a solution to this..Growers should contact their Representatives..bring up a bill in Congress...ask that able bodied men receiving Welfare or unemployment benefits..be contracted to work on farms when needed.

A good WORKFARE program would solve it.

[colette]

If illegal immigrants aren't given water can they get Morris Dees to sue and take the farm for them? If that happens enough times then someone WILL invent a machine to pick the crops.

[Iron Matron]

It's worse than that. A College Degree won't be worth a hill of beans, when OUR kids have to compete against those who are bilingual.

No its even worse than that..the Mexicans refuse to become bilingual at all..

[CzarNicky]

"We're better paid in construction," he said. "We don't have to work in the heat. We have shade. We have water. And even if I have a half-day's work, I'll get paid for the full day."

Great now not even the illegal aliens won't do the jobs we aren't willing to do.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

If Mexicans do not pick crops someone will invent a machine that does. After all that's why the plantation owners wanted slaves. After the slaves were no longer exploitable the cotton gin (invented 1793) was invented and there was no longer a need for slaves to pick the cotton. The same holds true for the Illegal Immigrants of today.

Well said, necessity really is the Mother of invention. CA should and could be in the business of developing robotic harvesters and exporting these around the world. Instead we're importing people who haven't got a pot to piss in and who continue to celebrate the very country that has made them refugees.

[zygoat]

"We're better paid in construction," he said. "We don't have to work in the heat. We have shade. We have water. And even if I have a half-day's work, I'll get paid for the full day."

I wonder what company he works for? I work construction and this summer was hellish- the way I look from all this freaking sunshine, I'm surprised I haven't been asked for a green card. And who's paying them full wages for a half day's work anyhow? I'll bet it's a state or county job, complete with union scale wages and all the perks that come with it. These companies need to be hit with a little shock and awe in the wallet by way of stiff financial penalties for hiring illegals.

Half a day in the shade....blah. Put em' on my crew for a day and they'd be jumpin' back into the Rio Grande just to escape!!

[who_would_fardels_bear]

I had some cotton gin once.

It was soft and smooth going down, but kinda' got stuck in my throat.

Also, it doesn't really mix well with tonic water.