Illegal immigrant workers protesting H2A workers

[BrianFromWA]

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021456869_migrantworkersxml.html

Labor unrest between a Skagit Valley berry farm and its migrant workers that led to recent work stoppages escalated Wednesday with workers saying they have been evicted from the farm’s housing.

Early morning talks over wages between the 270 workers and Sakuma Bros. Farms apparently broke down after the two sides could not come to an agreement over what they should be paid per pound for the blueberries they pick.

The striking farm workers, mostly indigenous Mixteco and Trique Mexicans who migrate each year from California, had made repeated demands over wages, working conditions and other issues.

But at the core of their angst is the pending arrival early next month of some 160 guest workers from Mexico to prop up the farm’s existing workforce.

“There’ve been rumblings ... (over guest workers) in the past, but I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” said Alberto Isiordia, state monitor advocate for the state Department of Employment Security.

While growers in Eastern Washington have used the federal government’s H-2A program over the last five years to legally bring guest workers into the country, this is the first year Sakuma or any Western Washington fruit grower will use it.

Many of the Sakuma farmworkers — who don’t speak English or Spanish — say they are in the country unlawfully.

On Tuesday, they met to establish an organization called Families United for Justice to advocate their concerns.

The workers aren’t convinced there’s a labor shortage and believe the company would have no trouble finding workers if it paid them more and improved conditions.

Francisco Eugenio Paz, who has been picking for Sakuma almost every year since 2001, said workers worry that the new workers will be paid more and have better living conditions.

“There are a lot of people who are working here already,” Paz said.
...
Sakuma said the farm needs guest workers to avoid a repeat from earlier this year, when 150 tons of strawberries went unpicked, and last year, when 15 acres of blackberries rotted in the fields.
...
It’s also a way to ensure a legal workforce. It is believed that well over half of all farmworkers in the state are in the country unlawfully.
Once the guest workers arrive, the wages of all the workers will be brought up to the $12-an-hour rate, according to Dan Fazio, of the Washington Farm Labor Association, the labor contactor for the Sakuma guest workers.

...

Some of my father-in-law's (and, when not called up, my) customers are farmers in Skagit Valley and in Sacramento River Valley in CA. The ones who are choosing to implement H2A to supplement the workforce are being affected negatively by their decisions to "go legit". Aided in part because somehow the illegal workers have labor protection against legal, H2A workers. I mean, you have 250 or so workers who openly admit to being here illegally, and instead of ICE coming in to deport them, they're able to walk off the job during a harvest if they don't get a 133% raise (when the owner is willing to bump all "legal" salaries to $12/hr to comply with state law).

 

[maxiep]

It's a world gone mad. My blood boiled when I saw this commercial from Hilda Solis:

[video=youtube;6QMDwLWz4UA]

It's time the Executive branch was held responsible for enforcing all the laws on the books, whether they like them or not. Perhaps if we had to really enforce them all, we wouldn't make so many stupid ones.

I constantly hear that we can't deport 11MM-15MM illegal immigrants. This country does amazing things. I'm betting we could if we chose, but we have open border advocates on one side (largely supporting the Democrats) and cheap labor advocates on the other (largely supporting the Republicans) who don't give two shits about the plight of ordinary Americans, which just so happens to be the job of elective office.

A pox on both their houses--Democratic and Republican--I say. The brazenness of illegal aliens in this country is simply astounding to me. In no other country, would they have the rights we have given them.

 

[maxiep]

If you don't want to watch Hilda Solis' ad, it's basically using H2A to tell farmers to take an A2M.

 

[maxiep]

If one really wants to read about the plight of the small farmer, migrant workers and US and California agricultural policies, read Victor Davis Hanson, Classicist, military historian and raisin farmer. He straddles both the academic and agricultural worlds and is a keen observer of the shortcomings of both.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

It's a world gone mad. My blood boiled when I saw this commercial from Hilda Solis:

[video=youtube;6QMDwLWz4UA]

It's time the Executive branch was held responsible for enforcing all the laws on the books, whether they like them or not. Perhaps if we had to really enforce them all, we wouldn't make so many stupid ones.

I constantly hear that we can't deport 11MM-15MM illegal immigrants. This country does amazing things. I'm betting we could if we chose, but we have open border advocates on one side (largely supporting the Democrats) and cheap labor advocates on the other (largely supporting the Republicans) who don't give two shits about the plight of ordinary Americans, which just so happens to be the job of elective office.

A pox on both their houses--Democratic and Republican--I say. The brazenness of illegal aliens in this country is simply astounding to me. In no other country, would they have the rights we have given them.

Rep'd

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I used to work with migrant seasonal farmworkers in Hood River. Kids picking fruit with sores all over their arms from the sprays (rather than being in school), pickers cabins with one single room for a family and some had no amenities... Meanwhile the owners of the farms have beautiful estates and get quite wealthy off their crops.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

beats their lives in mexico, otherwise they'd be there. I've been out to those farms too...its not much different than how they actually live in mexico.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

beats their lives in mexico, otherwise they'd be there. I've been out to those farms too...its not much different than how they actually live in mexico.

And that's a fair point, except they ain't in Mexico any more, so I see no reason for fat cat gringos to treat them like that.

 

[DaLincolnJones]

And that's a fair point, except they ain't in Mexico any more, so I see no reason for fat cat gringos to treat them like that.

nobody is holding them hostage..

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

And that's a fair point, except they ain't in Mexico any more, so I see no reason for fat cat gringos to treat them like that.

migrant workers are coming here because they make more money than they would in mexico. the quality of life is similar to what they're used to. its not like they can put them in a holiday inn with an expense account.

 

[magnifier661]

We should just let the immigrants go home then.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

We should just let the immigrants go home then.

well, Migrant workers do go home. they come in, make dat money and then go home.