State probing deaths of 5 workers across the state

California workforce safety officials say the death of a Kern County farmworker is one of five possible heat-related deaths they're investigating across the state.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/07/16/state/n174931D76.DTL#ixzz0tuPp6ZG7

These five dead were Illegal immigrants, most likely: desperate for work, and willing to accept unsafe working conditions.

A comment following the article is interesting:

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As a former farmer, growing row crops, I can tell you from the standpoint of real world experience that this is yet another issue that rightwingers have no idea what they're talking about.

I tried and tried and tried to get native born Americans to take my jobs, even paying $3/hr. ABOVE the minimum wage at that time. In the years I farmed I got two, count them, two calls from native born Americans about my job offer. One never showed up to work and the other lasted one day, never coming back to pick up his wages for that day.

In contrast I could go to my Foreman at any time and tell him, " I need 10 workers for the next week...". The next morning, 10 workers ready to go. Every time.

Treat these people with respect, please. This issue has little to nothing to do with them, it is a national policy problem, not a people problem.

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I'm not buying the comment. I knew a man that worked on a local farm. He was warned by the Mexicans not to come back. He had a few "accidents" and finally didn't go back. He said they'd probably kill him. Mexicans do not let others work.

Also it IS a people problem. When we lived in an apartment, we had neighbors downstairs that were Mexican. They were fine but their friends were not. I was asked about an apartment that appeared empty. I said it was not. (the tenant drove truck) The woman screamed at me "LIAR! LIAR!" Then a rash of Spanish. When she started coming at me, I went inside and locked the door. THAT is a people problem.

"One [native-born American worker] never showed up to work and the other lasted one day, never coming back to pick up his wages for that day."

What puts the muscle behind those threats? Is it the drug cartels?

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