Immigrants To Unemployed: 'Come On, Take Our Jobs' (ONE FOR MICHAEL SAVAGE ...)

IMPO Insider ^ | June 25, 2010 | Juliana Barbassa, Associated Press Writer

[Chi-townChief]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In a tongue-in-cheek call for immigration reform, farm workers are teaming up with comedian Stephen Colbert in a challenge to unemployed Americans: Come on, take our jobs.

Farm workers are tired of being blamed by politicians and anti-immigrant activists for taking work that should go to Americans and dragging down the economy, said Arturo Rodriguez, the president of the United Farm Workers of America.

So the group is encouraging the unemployed — and any Washington pundits who want to join them — to apply for the some of thousands of agricultural jobs being posted with state agencies as harvest season begins.

All applicants need to do is fill out an online form under the banner "I want to be a farm worker" at www.takeourjobs.org, and experienced field hands will train them and connect them to farms.

Three out of four farm workers in the U.S. were born abroad, and more than half are illegal immigrants, according to the Labor Department.

Proponents of tougher immigration laws have argued that farmers have become used to cheap labor. The problem with the UFW's proposition, they argue, is that growers don't want to raise wages and improve working conditions enough to attract Americans.

In either case, those who have done the job have some words of advice for applicants.

First, dress appropriately. During summer, when the harvest of fruits and vegetables is in full swing in California's Central Valley, temperatures hover in the triple digits. Heat exhaustion is one of the reasons farm labor consistently makes the Bureau of Labor Statistics' top ten list of the nation's most dangerous jobs.

Second, expect long days. Growers have a small window to pick fruit before it is overripe; work starts before dawn and goes on for 12 or more hours.

And don't count on a big paycheck. Farm workers are excluded from federal overtime provisions, and small farms don't even have to pay the minimum wage. Fifteen states don't require farm labor to be covered by workers compensation laws.

Any takers?

"The reality is farmworkers who are here today aren't taking any American jobs away. They work in often unbearable situations," Rodriguez said. "I don't think there will be many takers, but the offer is being made. Let's see what happens."

To highlight just how unlikely the prospect of Americans lining up to pick strawberries or grapes is, Comedy Central's "Colbert Report" plans to feature the "Take Our Jobs" campaign on July 8. Requests to Comedy Central and Colbert for comment on the nature of the collaboration weren't immediately answered.

Another way of tackling the issue is to strengthen immigration enforcement, said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports strict immigration laws.

It's an idea that might not end up on Comedy Central, but reducing the pool of farm workers would force growers to improve working conditions and raise wages.

"They're daring the American people to get by without farm workers," he said. "What I'm saying is, 'Let's take them up on that and call their bluff.'"

The campaign is being played for jokes, but the need to secure the right to work for immigrants who are here is serious business, said Michael Rubio, supervisor in Kern County, one of the biggest ag producing counties in the nation.

"Our county, our economy, rely heavily on the work of immigrant and unauthorized workers," he said. "I would encourage all our national leaders to come visit Kern County and to spend one day, or even half a day, in the shoes of these farm workers."

Hopefully, the message will go down easier with some laughs, said Manuel Cunha, president of the California grower association Nisei Farmers League, who was not a part of the campaign.

"If you don't add some humor to this, it's enough to get you drinking, and I don't mean Pepsi," Cunha said, dismissing the idea that Americans would take up the farm workers' offer.

California's agriculture industry launched a similar campaign in 1998, hoping to recruit welfare recipients and unemployed workers to work on farms, he said. Three people showed up.

"Give us a legal, qualified work force. Right now, farmers don't know from day to day if they're going to get hammered by ICE," he said, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "What happens to my labor pool?"

His organization supports AgJobs, a bill currently in the Senate which would allow those who have worked in U.S. agriculture for at least 150 days in the previous two years to get legal status.

The bill has been proposed in various forms since the late 1990s, with backing from the United Farm Workers of America and other farming groups, but has never passed.

Politicians' and advocates' perspectives on the matter might change if they were to take up the farm workers' offer, said Rubio from Bakersfield.

"The view and the temperature is much different from a row in a field than from inside an air conditioned office," he said. "Is it a challenge? Most certainly, yes. Come on down."

[kcvl]

As president of the United Farm Workers, Arturo S. Rodriguez is continuing to build the union Cesar E. Chavez founded into a powerful voice for immigrant workers by increasing its membership and pushing historic legislation on immigration reform and worker rights.

The veteran farm labor organizer was first exposed to Cesar Chavez through his parish priest in his hometown of San Antonio in 1966. He became active with the UFW's grape boycott as a student at St. Mary’s University 1969. At the University of Michigan in 1971, where he earned an M.A. degree in social work, Rodriguez organized support for farm worker boycotts. He began serving full time with the UFW in 1973, when he first met Chavez, who became his mentor for 20 years. Rodriguez has more than 35 years experience organizing farm workers, negotiating UFW contracts and leading numerous farm worker boycott and political drives across North America.

Rodriguez lives at the UFW's national headqaurters at La Paz in Keene, Calif.

[Poincare]

Econ 101, people. Learn it, believe it, use it.

And when the employers have to pay more for labor they will use their workers more efficiently including buying equipment to better utilize workers time. E.g., berries are picked more efficiently in New Zealand than in Califorania.

[thethirddegree]

Back in the 1980’s there was an Amway Diamond named Jack Daughery who always talked about his parents being ‘fruit bums’—traveling through Ca during harvest picking fruit. Don’t tell me Americans aren’t willing to take these jobs.

[thethirddegree]

My wife grew up on a farm in southwestern Wisconsin and knows all about detassling corn. She still runs circles around me.

[wolfcreek]

Only about 3% of the illegals work in agriculture.

Maybe they really do want you to take their jobs?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4703307

[thethirddegree]

Great post!

[gogeo]

This is a challenge that should be answered; yesterday, Savage was complaining about young whites not taking these jobs so this would be a good one for him to push. Imagine how surprised Colbert would be when this backfires...

How do you propose to answer a challenge when you accept the other side's bogus premises?

[gogeo]

It isn’t itinerant farm labor jobs that is the problem...

The problem is...you can't keep them down on the farm. They will do the farm jobs year 1, but come year 2 they will be doing manual labor on a construction site.

Then, more illegals will come...to do the "jobs that Americans won't do."

[gogeo]

And having said all I just said, I wonder what would happen if the “other side” of this issue (whatever or whoever that is)were to propose some version of the Guest Worker program...

I've yet to hear any type of justification for guest workers that isn't economically unsound.

[RipSawyer]

You are pretty much dead on in what you say but I have been fortunate enough to have one of those rare exceptions buy a house next door to me. A young Army vet who is 22 or 23 and works in an auto electric shop without AC and goes to tech school at night. He is unmarried but has a girl friend who is helping him tend a garden, she doesn’t live with him. He is as good a neighbor as I could have ever hoped for.

[Tzimisce]

come take our jobs, we DARE you to vote Liberal Democrat.

[RipSawyer]

“Because a war was fought over whether slavery was legal or not —the answer was no.”
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

In what country was that war fought? If you say America you are very ignorant.

[Mrs. Don-o]

The challenge comes with the endorsement of the United Farm Workers, which ---at first glance --- one might think gives it some credibility. But perhaps not, since the UFW actually doesn't legitimately represent farm workers anymore, and in fact hasn't for a long time.

A couple of hear back, the Bakersfield Californian reported that most farm workers in the fields have never heard of Cesar Chavez and his United Farm Workers Union. The union’s health and pension plans each reported less than 3,500 contributing workers in a state which has, seasonally, from 350,000 to 700,000 workers in its fields and orchards. Less than 2% of the state’s agricultural workers are protected by a Farm Workers contract at any given time.

Of the union’s claims to have “won basic, humane treatment for the campesinos,” the LA Weekly’s Marc Cooper, writing in 2005, said, “nothing could be further from the truth.”

According to Cooper, wages of California’s farm workers have been at best stagnant and, by most reckonings, are in decline. With almost all workers stuck at the minimum wage of $6.75 an hour, it’s rare to find a farm worker whose annual income breaks $10,000 a year.

It's all brought into focus by this fact: the number of United Farm Workers contracts peaked at perhaps 150 in the mid-1970s; but as of 2006, there were “fewer than 25.” Yearly, the union solicits and receives $20 million to $30 million in donations, but "most of the funds go to burnish the Chavez image and expand the family business, a multimillion-dollar enterprise with an annual payroll of $12 million that includes a dozen Chavez relatives." --- that's according to th Los Angeles Times.

Here's one Link, of many.

At this point, if they don't have access to their Mexican rent-a-slaves, California growers will probably find that mechanizing the remaining farm-labor jobs makes more economic sense than raising wages.

Or maybe California agriculture will go the way of the Michigan auto industry: they can do it cheaper in China.

Adios.

[Scythian]

In all honestly it would be dangerous to work side by side with a ton of unvacinnated people, many with parasitical tropical diseases ...

[Mac from Cleveland]

If all these deluded, ignorant assholes are so wonderful and we “need” them so much, then how come a whole country full of Mexicans-namely,Mexico-is a Third-world disease-ridden, widely illiterate, corrupt crime infested shithole????????

[RipSawyer]

I used to carry and TOSS watermelons (and I am talking about 35 to 55 pound watermelons, not the oversized grapefruit you see now) all day long in South Carolina, average temp mid nineties, sometimes one hundred or more with extremely high humidity and was happy to get three or four dollars for an entire DAY fifty years ago. There was no air conditioning at home, I was going to be hot and miserable anyway so being miserable with a couple of dollars in my pocket was better than miserable and broke.

[dragnet2]

Only an AH with an agenda or someone that lives in a cave think the tens of million of illegals just work in the fields.

They are in construction by the millions, drive trucks, drive fork lifts, millions have jobs in warehousing, they took over the food service and hotel industry, they drive cabs, mechanics, anything that is labor involved...

It's all a pack of lies...

These people graduated from the Tokyo Rose school of propaganda.

There are millions of illegals in Los Angeles and cities like Dallas, Phoenix, Atlanta, Denver etc.....

Has anyone ever seen a vegetable field in Los Angeles?

Damned liars!

[MarineMom613]

I like the welfare idea. THey already have them doing community service for their checks. Maybe it will inspire some to become farmers.

[dragnet2]

in America are kids now until 26? Those little spoiled bastards, with few exceptions will not take a job that makes them sweat.

Where did you get this?

There are tens of thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan that would probably kick your ass up around your ears for that comment.

All the young people I know are all hard working if they can find jobs....

[patlin]

Walking beans in the hot & HUMID temps of the upper Midwest was no treat either, but it is how this & many other middle aged persons earned a dime in the late 60’s - early 70’s when teenagers still new what the value of a dollar wasn't afraid of a hard days labor. In fact, it was rather fulfilling and gave us a sense of pride & responsibility. The 2 most important things lacking in today's youth.