Around 75% of immigrant farm workers in Bakersfield, California, ditched their shifts after Trump ramped up his threats by removing protections against ICE raids in “sensitive areas,” including schools and workplaces.
This also highlight how many companies are taking advantage of these people in a modern form of slavery…
Funny how we never demonize the fucking companies taking advantage of these people.
I’m torn.
Obviously taking advantage of cheap, desperate labor to maximize profit is wrong.
On the other hand, the whole thing feels like a deliberate act by the ruling class to turn the working class against each other. I’m hesitant to hate on farmers when billionaires are also suppressing wages so harshly all of society.
I’m more raging against the corporations that have no problem benefiting off undocumented workers, underpaying and exploiting.
Any individual farmer out there is trying to stay afloat is competing with John Deere and Monsanto already
Nothing to be torn about: there are no “farmers” anymore, just Big Ag (Tyson, General Mills, Bayer (formerly Monsanto), etc.).
I had no idea im not a farmer anymore.
Now what should i do with all these cows and corn?
Are you genuinely independent, selling your produce at roadside stands/farmer’s markets/directly to restaurants/etc., or are you under the thumb of Big Ag anyway* even though you aren’t literally an employee of them?
When I claim that the vast majority of people who call themselves “farmers” these days are in the latter situation, am I wrong?
(* Yes I know that’s about chickens, not beef or corn. Are you gonna tell me the agribusinesses concerned with those crops don’t have similar issues?)
In Canada too, we just gussie it up as the “temporary foreign workers” program, and bring immigrants over here for a while to do shit jobs we white people don’t want to do, like work in Tim Hortons or drive for Uber, and leave them trying to afford housing and cost of living, and many just come here and move into shelters, or live in extremely large family settings, which makes locals hate them more because of the housing crisis.
I think immigration needs huge reform in Canada, and that the pathways to citizenship through massive tuition fees bumping out citizens from higher education and using diploma mill “colleges” need to be closed, but the temporary worker program is just slightly polished up slavery and nothing more. If we’re going to offer immigration it should be to skilled people who can work in their field here and can afford to live here, and not just dangling scraps in front of vulnerable people because it’s somewhat better than living in an underdeveloped country’s slums so they can be our slaves, while we all fight over housing and resent each other. At least the migrant agricultural worker program doesn’t hide the fact it is farm labour and temporary.
There’s got to be a way to ethically have migrant workers
The agricultural migrant worker program is ok. They come in understanding what the job is and what they will get. The Mexican crew at my SO’s old job have been coming for years, they’re very much part of the family, and good friends with all the staff, and enjoy the season they spend there, and they make some amazing food for the harvest parties. I’m not saying it’s perfect but at least it’s honest about what they will receive, it’s usually pretty friendly, and they’re not handed a Tim Hortons uniform and directed to the nearest shelter while promised a better life, and having Canadians resent them for being there and taking up resources like housing (the migrant agricultural workers live on the farm or surrounding properties in more of a dormitory situation instead of finding their own housing). There is nothing pretentious about it and in my experience they’re very peaceful people.
One thing I think would be better is to create an educational bridging program for doctors who come to Canada and don’t qualify to work here. If we offered training at our standards to internationally trained doctors and made a deal with them they had to take a job in an underserviced area for family medicine in exchange and have a full roster of patients, that would be a better use of resources and would benefit everyone. There are so many who can’t practice here, and I just think they could really be a valuable resource. I know a pediatric cardiologist from Pakistan who works as a cardiovascular testing tech, a geneticist from Brazil who is working as a translator, my own GP was a respirologist in Croatia and went through med school here again to practice in family medicine. Hell I know a German psychiatrist, who actually does have the same level of education and training as Canadian doctors, and they made him go through five more years of residency that he had finished 15 years before. Set them up to have the correct education to be GPs and sign a contract with them that they have to work in an area that is low in family doctors. I bet that would solve a lot.
fuck that. we shouldn’t only be open to one class of immigrant. I don’t pretend to have answers but I know that this idea further a class hierarchy and as such is crap.
I think it should be until housing and services can keep pace with the huge influx of immigrants we got in the last two years. It’s one thing to have a subspecialist physician apply to move here, that’s very needed all the time, but also they’re not going to live off of the social welfare net because they’ll make liveable salaries and be able to buy a home.
“they” are humans who have a far worse life somewhere else just because of the birth lottery. who are you to say they don’t deserve the life you get to have based on pure luck?
But people who are citizens here are living in tents. We have encampments all over my city. We have to take care of people who live here first. And we’re not. Sadly the government let housing and infrastructure lag far behind the capacity needed to take care of everyone who is already here. We can’t take more people when we don’t have space for the ones who are here.
Let the farms try to hire us citizens for this work. No one will take jobs that pay dollars per hour with no benefits. Let the farms raise salaries and charge Americans triple for produce. Let Americans bitch… Then watch Trump and GOP blame the liberals for it.
Oh they can still use inmigrants, they just have to get them into private prison work programs first.
Ahh, yes
indentured slaveryprivate prison work programs a classic move.Calling it indentured slavery implies they may be able to earn their freedom.
They could hang up a sign “work will set you free”
I’m sure they will blame the libs and the Democrats for it because they are the ones pushing for a bigger minimum wage. Without it, employer’s can collude to drive down wages, making higher paying alternative jobs non existent. Everything pays pennies!
Howdy, a reminder that we live in a market economy. What will happen is that if no one shows up for work at the wage offered to illegal workers, gradually, the rates offered will increase until someone shows. You’ll notice America has no shortage of other classes of workers, such as sewer maintenance engineer or garbage collector. The reason is those jobs were never held by illegal workers. Will produce be as cheap as it was before? No, but then again it should not be a fundamental part of our economy to employ illegal workers. Either reform immigration law to allow for migrant workers or get rid of them. This weird middle-ground where we tolerate illegal employment in exchange for subsidized prices for produce is ridiculous. If we wouldn’t have allowed this in the first place, the problem would not be so hard to solve today.
There are lots of legal migrant workers. One of the many problems with these mass deportations is that even legal immigrants, maybe even citizens, have to be afraid to show up.
The question is what percentage of these workers are undocumented? I don’t recall reading any actual numbers.
And to spread the icing on this shit-cake, I do remember reading months ago the claim that most illegals are people overstaying a work or student visa. Are we demonizing these people for nothing?
The question is what percentage of these workers are undocumented?
That’s covered in the article:
The USDA estimated that between 2020-2022 about 32% of crop farmworkers were U.S. born, 7% were immigrants who had obtained citizenship, 19% were authorized immigrants, mostly permanent residents or green-card holders and the remaining 42% were unauthorized to work. The majority of these workers have Latino backgrounds.
Apparently I replied before finishing reading - gotta leave that redditism behind ….
So yeah, an estimated 42%, which is significant. However 75% didn’t show for work because of fear. How can they not recognize themselves as the bigger problem?
Not sure what you mean, who do you mean by “they” and bigger problem?
They == people starting ICE raids. Bigger problem == disrupt the economy + terrorize 33% of the workforce who are legally working
Thanks for clarifying. I’m not sure they care too much about its effect on the economy, but terrorizing them, even the legally working, is definitely intentional and part of their strategy. They’ve openly talked about wanting to intimidate people into “self-deporting”.
I think most people agree with you, and I don’t really think anyone would say that hiring illegal workers to lower prices and pay them lower wages is a solution.
People are upset not because they can’t exploit illegal immigrants anymore, but because the solution should’ve been to provide the working immigrants with worker protections and easier paths to citizenship (which you suggested something similar). Instead they’re attempting to suddenly and forcefully deport all of them.
I’ve been in discussions about this news for quite a bit and it absolutely shocks me how many people are totally OK with the status quo, as long as they get cheap food.
That was fast! You people are already blaming someone else for this shitshow.
How about if you are hiring undocumented immigrants for this work, let’s not arrest the immigrants, let’s arrest the owners of the farm.
Then we’ll sell the farm off to someone who is willing to pay a living wage to people, and not slaves with no other options.
Or just give the farm to the workers and have them run it as a coop.
If socialist-welfare-handout farming subsidies were paid it be great if they were forced to be returned by people that employed those not legal to work in the us as well. Misusing government funds and all that jazz.
Naturally this will never happen but it’d be a good idea lol
most farms cant turn a profit that way unless they make some more bs being subsidized like corn, we need less corn
Then watch Trump and GOP blame the liberals for it.
… and more than half of Americans will agree with that conclusion.
A fundamental part of our economy/way of life should not be dependent on near slave labor
I agree, but “ship’em all back” is still idiotic shortsighted policy.
Yep, I think they should have worker protections like everybody else! They work hard, they suffered just to be here, overall they make the country a better place. There is no reason to send them back (except racism)
What would they pay if not dollars per hour? Cats per hour?
He probably means they pay single-digit dollars per hour, as opposed to tens of dollars per hour.
But they also could be paying per amount of crop harvested (per bushel or per pound), I think.
Ya this work is often by weight to encourage efficient picking.
Our farming system needs an overhaul, but I agree that this isn’t the way to make that happen. But I am hoping this bullshit will force us to take a closer look at how we produce and approach it in a more sustainable fashion.
Sounds like you’re very familiar with how things work over here :(
Mmm, can’t wait to pay $15 for produce. Fucking idiot Americans voting against their own interests.
Didn’t some morons vote for trump literally because of the egg prices?
Anyone I know who voted for trump for “economic reasons” are people I know to have the weakest grasp on what economic factors determine the price of eggs.
I just spent $5 on a carton of eggs. Thanks Obama, for bird flu
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I think the real issue is we’re using undocumented immigrants to do these jobs. They don’t get the same protections that legal workers get.
That may be an underlying issue but when the baby is incessantly screaming and crying, it doesn’t help to throw boiling water on it
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Absolutely, but we are well past people using logic and reason. We wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place, and we could have spent time actually solving legal immigration (among many other things) instead of years of focus on her emails and all the nonsense of 2016-2020.
Start your “vistory” garden now.
Let me start to say that I’m on our side (probably), but are you implying that you want those workers to be underpaid and have no worker rights so your produce price stays low?
We told you so.
Not many conservatives on lemmy I’m guessing.
There are some.
Doesn’t matter really, people were saying it in other places I’d imagine.
I don’t understand how this is supposed to make eggs cheaper.
(obligatory FUCK ICE)
Oh no. What an unexpected development! Who could have predicted this?
Don’t worry, I’m sure the tariffs will help bring food prices down.
The spring season is coming… No one planting seeds to sow. That’s gonna be fun. Plus hey, if you don’t plant nothing, you don’t need nobody to pick nothing. And we’ll loose some weight? All beautiful skinny ass Americans again! Yey!
Planting is easier to automate than harvesting. Pretty sure everything has been using seed drills for a while now. Harvesting and meat packing are going to get hosed though.
No, eggs will be cheaper, I’m sure of it. /s
What does ICE stand for? I guess its some form of border/immigration police?
Apart from that this is probably one of the things the american population will notice quite fast. But I don’t think I have to tell you that trump supporters voted against their own interest.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Thanks
Internal Combustion Engine.
He needs more lead in his diet.
Or a very brief, yet intimate, familiarity with the inside of a wicker basket. One of many, ideally.
Oh I love a good wicker basket. Or a beautiful rope. So many acceptable options!
Wow the exact fucking thing everyone with a brain said would happen! Amazing! Depopulation is TERRIBLE for your economy and wellbeing!
But wait. There’s more. When are the tariffs coming in? My money is on next week.
So yeah… this is going quicker than I thought. I was expecting a couple of months.
All I can say is that Americans, myself included who voted for Harris because I’m not a dumbass, deserves all of this.
I for one, don’t believe people deserve to suffer.
no, we don’t.
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What a boring way to view the world
That the choices you make have consequences? It’s not a view…that’s life.
Not at all what I’m saying, of course actions have consequences.
What the commenter was saying is that all Americans deserve what’s happening, even those who voted for Harris. I think it’s pretty disingenuous to say that the people who are impacted by what’s going on right now deserve what’s happening.
You may have spread as much information as you could and pushed for change and tried to warn as many people as you could, but it doesn’t matter and we all deserve this because a portion of people stayed home and Trump ended up winning the election.
Incredibly defeatist claim.
Don’t you have that backwards…? Why would you deserve this just because you voted for the opposition?
The ones who voted for Trump do and that’s it.
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Voters every other election, after four years of people fixing shit:
