After Trump’s immigration order, anxiety grows in Florida’s vegetable fields

a reply to: jellyrev

I agree, the farms (corps) want cheap labor, the markets want cheap produce, and the consumer pays what ever is on the sign.

If the farmer (corp) can't find help, up goes wages-but not here. Not yet.

a reply to: Liquesence

Well with Trump's plans to bring manufacturing back to the US, perhaps wages will increase. But the corps can and do employ more and more temps, and of course automation.

The market is not being allowed to work. Is it pretty, nope, and make no mistake, I understand the mess this is. Almost as much as our health care system. One thing these 2 industries have in common is massive profits.

a reply to: Liquesence


You have to start somewhere it will no doubt hurt a % in the start, if you want America/ns to be wealthy and not living pay check to pay check, the distribution of wealth needs to be spread and not mainly lining the pockets of the big corps. Pay decent wages, buy and support American produce and manufacturing etc, spread the wealth.

It does not matter how much the fruit pickers are paid. The owners can sell fruit at any price irrelevant of how much they pay fruit pickers. How much the price the owners sell depends on how much the fruit buyers are willing to pay, not on how much the owners pay the fruit pickers. ECON 101 people.

a reply to: gps777

Agreed.

Tariffs when needed and fair trade agreements will go along way.

We will have to contend with the automation problem soon.

If buyers are willing to buy fruits at 100 dollars for a banana, owners will sell bananas at 100 dollars for a banana. The price of banana depends on how much buyers are willing to pay for bananas, not on how much owners pay banana pickers.

"Can make $15-20 an hour"

Means that most pickers don't make that much. When picking always makes you $15 to $20 an hour is when you'll get Americans to do the work. Americans won't pick for $5 an hour with the hope that one day if their lucky they'll make $15.

a reply to: trueseeker

True, there is no relationship between these market forces. We have long since left the econ 101 supply and demand from the 1940's.

This is about worker exploitation and ever increasing profits.

The farmers sign contracts that are razor thin, and labor there for has to cheap. Again Corp profits rule the day.

a reply to: DanDanDat

The farmer was not being truthful.

I help half a dozen clients in Florida who are in the Produce or Citrus Industry. 3 things are true.

1. They have not losing employees and they ramp up in December/January
2. They have 95% Hispanic Employees
3. They do NOT make that much. Most are calculated to get minimum or the pick incentive...not both and it is not 15-20 bucks.

Sensationalism. Makes a good story. I know lots of legals in Florida who want the illegals jobs. Lower taxes...business and personal and waive ACA. Companies could once again afford non-illegals...

Cattle Ranchers...they are screwed....

a reply to: matafuchs

Cattle Ranchers...they are screwed....

What do you mean?

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: Grimpachi

I maybe all wet on this idea but there is a cost to having illegals here. And the farmers don't want the change. This is a system where the contracts that the farmers are signing are razor thin. And there is no $$ to pay labor.

The system is designed to exploit workers and it needs reforms, and no one is making $15-20 an hour.

.
This is the lie they tell to hide that they charge the illegal worker for everything, including the water they drink. They pay for the living space, the cot they sleep on, the food, the transportation, and any extras.

If they aren't careful, they may not get a paycheck, and may even end up owing the employer money.

I love how the have these people that scream about the illegal workers rights. I wonder why those rights don't include following the laws of the country that they have entered illegally.

a reply to: Breakthestreak


I'm sorry, did you say something to me?

Do you have anything to contribute other than personal insults and an unguided rant that did not address what I actually said?

That's what I thought.

Stop moving the goalposts for your own interests.

These are used to pick oranges in Florida..

The farmers created/accepted a system where they underpay illegal immigrants with illegal wages instead of paying legal wages to legal Americans. Even if those jobs paid minimum wage instead of the $15-$20 number being claimed it doesn't matter, those jobs should go to Americans. They claim American's wont do the jobs. Of course they won't if you aren't offering fair wages, thats why the farmers will have to change. Its their fault for thinking they could get away with paying illegal wages in the first place. They can try to raise prices drastically and when people stop buying as much and they lose even more money they will be forced to charge less.

originally posted by: seasonal
If the farmer (corp) can't find help, up goes wages-but not here.

Nope. The farmer lets his crop rot in the field, writes it off, gets paid his subsidy, supply and demand take over, costs skyrocket, and people complain because they have less 'play money'.

I grew up on a farm. I've seen it happen.

Am I supposed to feel bad?

Yeah, we got problems with the young not wanting to do real work. They go to college and are conditioned to believe that will get them a cushy job and they will not have to do manual labor. I actually liked to work on my crew even though I owned the business. So I had to do estimates and billing after work and get things ready in the morning or night before so I could work with the guys all day building homes, garages, and doing remodeling.

What we need to do is make the wages on jobs where you actually work hard better paying and reduce the pay for the people who don't do much physical labor or take any physical risk in their profession. That is sort of the way things were done before, but now an office worker makes more than a road construction worker. And the office workers complain about carpal tunnel. The construction workers tear things and ruin their backs and joints.

We need to fix this problem.

originally posted by: Liquesence
a reply to: seasonal

Yes, and when people start not getting their fruits and veggies, or when they have to pay higher prices for them, perhaps they will realize everything is not as simple as they've been told.

Solution !! Hire more illegal immigrants.

Right?