Plus, we have to have the workers screened South of the border. We pay for that.
Then those workers have to be screened North of the border. We pay for that.
Then we have to provide transportation from the border to our location. We pay for that.
Then we have to provide housing for them. We pay for that.
Then we have to haul them to work and back again. We pay for that.
Then, if they get sick or injured, we pay for that.
We have to guarantee them a certain amount of hours of work, whether they do in fact work, or not. We pay for that.
But, the kicker is this. If they perceive they have a grievance, they call the USDA representative on their cell phone. Automatically, we are shut out of the process. The USDA rep. interviews them privately. The process takes years. The worker is already back in Mexico. WE have no recourse to the fines, lawyer fees to protect us, etc.
Finally, there is misconception that farm workers are underpaid. That is a common lie that is perpetrated by the ignorant to the uninformed. Very few work for minimum wage. Most positions, especially for those experienced, make significantly more. They have to be paid because they are responsible for operating equipment work ten of thousands of dollars.
Farming today is not 'Old MacDonald' walking behind a mule plowing a field. It is a highly specialized business.
Most of you see apples in the grocery store of your choice. It costs, before any money is made, $4,000 an acre to produce those apples. Do the math, multiply that by any number of acres you wish to see the amount of money required to farm in today's economy.
Any thoughts on why the local teenagers aren’t used more? The laws? The kids don’t want/need to work, etc. Not that many kids in the rural areas?
I was doing some consulting for a guy on his small winery in Eastern Washington and he said he had a small group of good workers (mainly Hispanic) that knew what they were doing when it came time for harvest. He said they like working with grapes ‘cuz it is all at eye-level (no stooping, etc.). But even then, in order to keep them he was paying a couple bucks above minimum wage.