Hiring U.S. Unemployed in Agribusiness
Re “Not More Workers But Better Wages,” Commentary, Jan. 7: U.S. agribusiness would have no problem in paying higher wages to farm workers, provided the U.S. farmer could expect a higher market return for his crop to justify increased farm labor costs. Dan Stein fails to address ever-increasing worldwide agribusiness, which has steadily put U.S. agribusiness at a disadvantage when unable to compete against foreign competitors’ cheaper labor and water costs.
Stein proposes to increase investments in mechanization to achieve higher wages and better working conditions. How does he expect U.S. agribusiness to invest capital when bank loans are next to impossible to obtain? It is not uncommon for U.S. crops to go unharvested due to poor market conditions.
A better solution would be to push for the implementation of worldwide bottom-line floor pricing by commodity, based on current economic conditions, to assure all parties involved that perishable crops are not sold below break-even costs. The U.S. and Mexican tomato industries have implemented such a plan this past year.
R.J. DEAKINS
Eco Farms, Temecula
* The unemployed people who could replace foreign labor in agribusiness have been given a dose of hype by Stein. I have employed pickers each year for the past 20 years in my citrus grove. Today they are documented, certified and legal to work in California. We pay $11 per bin and retain only those who are capable of picking a minimum of nine bins from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., with breaks and lunch time.
The skilled and motivated pick 11 bins per day. When the federal and state get their due, the take-home pay (spendable) is $9 per hour. The men (no women) commute by car-pooling to the groves. They are provided sanitary facilities and pure drinking water. I would like to hear Stein’s recommendation on improved working conditions for a picker standing on a 10- to 12-foot ladder in 90- to 100-degree heat with a 50-pound picking sack hung around his neck. Perhaps he could devise a machine that could be operated from an air-conditioned cab.
RICK LINDGREN
Rancho Palos Verdes
* As an attorney who assists (mostly white-collar) immigrants, I never thought that I’d be writing to agree with Stein, the leader of the largest anti-immigrant organization in the country. However, I believe that he is correct in opposing a 1990s version of the old bracero program.
Farm workers perform a vital service and are entitled to make a decent wage. However, a large percentage are illegal aliens. If they were all deported tomorrow, who would pick the crops?
CARL SHUSTERMAN
Los Angeles
