Posted on 08/30/2006 11:14:35 AM PDT by SJackson
WAPATO, Yakima County — Heinz Humann was late this year. Later than he's ever been.
His workers finished thinning out apple and pear trees to prepare for the harvest in mid-August. But they should have been finished a month earlier. The past few months, it's been tough for Humann to find enough workers for what he can afford to pay. He's had plenty of work, he says. But it seems there's no one willing to do it.
Add to that the other issues that hurt his bottom line, such as taxes and environmental regulations, and "I can see the writing on the wall," he says.
"We're doomed."
Like Humann, apple growers all over Washington this summer are complaining that a heated immigration debate in the U.S. has combined with a late cherry harvest to create a shortage of agricultural workers, perhaps the worst they've seen.
Evidence in the fields of Eastern Washington is so far anecdotal. But some guess that migrant workers may be attracted away by higher-paying jobs. Others surmise that high gas prices have discouraged some workers from driving north after finishing harvests in California.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
Someone needs to teach this guy about supply and demand. When the demand outstrips the supply (of laborers), ya gotta raise the price (wage). Pay them more, they will come. And gee, I feel real bad about his predicament.
The limitations include: machinery damages the fruit, and the results are therefore great for juicing and processed food, which don't pay well; and not good for retail-type, which is where growers make their profits.
_______ Fault.
Ignorance is never pretty, and yours is downright ugly.
The Mexicans aren't "stealing" this work. Americans stopped doing the work in about 1971, when the Great Society programs began making it more lucrative to go on welfare, than to do agricultural labor. It's still that way. Why do really hard work, when you don't have to?
My own observation comes from the fact that, prior to that tim, the schools would always have an influx of white kids in the fall who left after the picking was done. They were the kids of migratory laborers who followed the crops around. After 1971, they no longer showed up ... and not too long after that, the Mexicans started showing up instead.
"for what he can afford to pay"
Uh, right. I see farmers everywhere begging. Nope.
Senator Larry Craig, another sound bite here for you!
Interesting....how did the Mexicans know to magically start showing up?
susie
Low wages aside, I think the main obstacle is transport; most of the kids lining up at Mall-Wart probably have no way to get out of the city. The smart farmers will bus them out, something the bait industry has been doing for a long time now. There are several operators here in Toronto that use vans to take worm pickers from the city to the worksites; there's no reason you couldn't do the same for farm labourers.
Or move on to grapes and cherries and whatever else is ready to harvest. These crops depend on a large, mobile workforce for just a few weeks, the little towns can't support the workers all year round, but they do need them during harvest.
Word of mouth, most likely. The numbers of Mexicans around my hometown started out being pretty small, and gradually built up over the course of several years.
They do the same harvests every year.
Oh, phsaw. Let's not drag economic realities into this discussion. (A good point, btw. Then again, you actually being from Washington gives you an advantage over those who haven't seen the fruit industry close-up.)
The system is abusive. Illegals are paid less than legal workers, Americans or H2 holders. Working conditions may or may no meet legal standards. Social costs are paid by the taxpayer. Immigration and tax laws are violated as a matter of doing "business". In my view, the blame lies largely with the employers, and law (non) enforcement, from immigration to the IRS.
BTW, a legal, H2 visa holder can travel to the US, fare usually paid by the employer, work hard, earn money, take it back to Mexico, and come back next year. All in the light of day. And in fact they do, I've posted several articles on operations using H2 workers.
Personally, I'd like to see the program require some level of medical and liability insurance required as well.
He knows all about it, that's why he's asking for greater supply, likely illegal.
How is it abusive? The illegals voluntarily accept the lower wages. They can leave if and when they want ... but they don't. The growers can't really afford to pay much more, and still stay in business.
~smiles~ I've spent enough time in Wenatchee and Yakima, went to school in Eastern Wa.
I also worked in Social Services, and have seen the social service agencies run around like mad trying to offer services to these 'poor' people, offering them day care and employment assistance they clearly didn't need. They spend a lot of money on programs and no one shows up, these people know where they're going, and really aren't asking for help.
China produces about half of the world supply and are depressing prices worldwide.
"If you base your business on paying someone $3 an hour... you deserve to go under."
"when you have to pay more than $2 per hour for your help I guess....."
No offense, but neither of you know what you're talking about (on this issue).
I managed a 100+ acre apple orchard in Oroville, WA in the eighties and I can assure you that the workers make more than 2-3 bucks an hour. We were paying $10.80 per bin at that time. An average worker could easily pick a bin in less than an hour. The days were long and yes it was hard work, but we had guys that picked 12 bins a day, some even more. The workers got a free cabin and transportation to and from the orchards. They were making more than I was!!
Gotta have lunch, will be back soon.
Read post 33 again. It operates outside the law. Illegals are harmed by lower wage levels by all accounts and in some cases substandard working conditions. Taxpayers are harmed by assuming costs which properly belong to employers. Society is harmed by tolerance of a 2nd economic construct, not bound by our legal system. It's no different than undeclared cash compensation. If growers can't pay more, which I doubt since there are growers who use legal immigrant labor, they may well go out of business.
I think it's that "per bin" price that makes American and teenage workers wince, they want to be paid by the hour, not by the product! :~D
I picked blueberries as a kid, we got paid by the bucket.
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