Immigration controls affecting California ag markets - or are they?
"And at $12 an hour, it paid better than slinging fast food."
"In California, farm wages increased 13 percent from 2010 to 2015, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some farmers have resorted to giving field laborers benefits such as 401(k) plans, health insurance and even subsidized housing."
In my area, minimum wage is $7.25/hr. I know a lot of teenagers who'd be out there picking for that money, so I don't think it has to do with wages per se.
"For generations, rural Mexico has been the primary source of hired farm labor in the U.S. According to a federal survey, nine out of 10 agricultural workers in places like California are foreign-born, and more than half are in the U.S. illegally."
So all we've done here is expose that Californians are effectively exploiting slave labor.
So the million $ question: what is REALLY the cause of the shortage of labor? Answer: what isn't in the article: California government policy that makes it so expensive that even $12.00/hr doesn't provide a living after taxes.
"In California, farm wages increased 13 percent from 2010 to 2015, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some farmers have resorted to giving field laborers benefits such as 401(k) plans, health insurance and even subsidized housing."
In my area, minimum wage is $7.25/hr. I know a lot of teenagers who'd be out there picking for that money, so I don't think it has to do with wages per se.
"For generations, rural Mexico has been the primary source of hired farm labor in the U.S. According to a federal survey, nine out of 10 agricultural workers in places like California are foreign-born, and more than half are in the U.S. illegally."
So all we've done here is expose that Californians are effectively exploiting slave labor.
So the million $ question: what is REALLY the cause of the shortage of labor? Answer: what isn't in the article: California government policy that makes it so expensive that even $12.00/hr doesn't provide a living after taxes.
What discourages American citizens from seeking farm employment is that it's physically tough work. I worked in the fruit orchards in high school, so I know how tough it can be. The other part of the problem is that the pay isn't good enough to cover transportation. We aren't likely to go back to the depression era labor camps, with men traveling where the work is and sending money home, especially now that unemployment is dropping, so a better solution is a generous guest worker program.
Which leads to the question: if there is plenty of work, why are employers having a hard time filling the positions?
A program which relies on legal immigration and work visas rather than the current dependence on illegal workers.
I grew up in MI and moved to CA for all of 93 days... EVERYTHING was outrageously expensive. But the pay was better.
Now, here in FL we have Orange Pickers (mechanical devices connected to trucks). Over time, it MUST be automated. Labor is the most expensive component in almost everything (once you have mass production). And Ingenuity needs to kick in.
Then, $12/hr is 24,000/yr (if full time). If it cost 2-3 times as much, they would be buying robots... Which is where it will get to. A bigger company will buy a GROUP of $100K robots. Load up a "picking/packing" program, and they will do the work.
I am not sure fixing this by just paying more to foreigners is the right answer.
Finally, what Percentage of costs of food is the labor? Honestly, it isn't 100% it is probably 30% ... And I would be willing to pay 30% more for most fruits and veggies that I buy, just to know that they were picked without using Illegals, or violating other laws.
Or are they just pulling the wool over our eyes.