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Georgia farmers “don’t know” – yeah, right.

By Patrick Osio, Jr./HispanicVista.com

   March 6, 2006

 

  

 

      A recent Associated Press article reported that on February 22, 2006, 55 Georgia Vidalia sweet onions, corn and soybeans farmers plus other agricultural employers met with the Department of Labor for a seminar on migrant farm workers hiring policies. The farmers said they’re making extra efforts to follow the letter of the law. As a group they hire over 1000 workers, who by their admission are mostly Mexican immigrants, but as one said, "A guy comes to your office and brings his Social Security and his Green Card, it figures he's legal. But I don't know if it's real or not."

 

If you believe in fairy tales, you won’t have a problem swallowing that B.S. They know who is and who is not legal or they must have short memories, so let’s remind them.

 

In 1997, the then INS raided the Vidalia fields nabbing several hundred illegal immigrants. The farmers didn’t care because harvesting was over. Those nabbed were sticking around for their final paycheck, which because they were deported, never got.

 

The INS got smarter, in 1998 launching operation “Southern Denial” at the height of the harvest season. Within minutes the offices of local Congressmen and the late Senator Paul Coverdell called the INS demanding the immediate stoppage of the raids that were, “indiscriminate and inappropriate use of extreme enforcement tactics…. Interfering with honest farmers….”

 

On behalf of the today ‘we don’t really know if they are legally or illegally here,’ Senator Coverdell struck a deal with the INS. The workers were provided with temporary visas allowing them to stay – sounds like amnesty. The farmers agreed to avail themselves for future growing and harvesting seasons of the H-2A agricultural guest worker visa program that has been in effect since 1964 (Amended in 1986), which they agreed to do, but after the 1998 seasons disregarded.

 

These “we want to comply with the law” farmers, since they were protected by Congressmen such as Charley Norwood, who today clamors for fences and military presence at the US-Mexico border, knew there would be no more raids.

 

In 1999, these would have us believe law abiding farmers claimed the guest worker visa program was too burdensome and they did not agree with the Department of Labor’s (DOL) “prevailing wage” that should be paid to farm workers.

 

The minimum wage in Georgia is $5.15 per hour. Farmers insisted field workers should be paid 75-cents for a 60-pound bag of onions about 7 bags (420 lbs.) to earn the $5.15 per hour. The DOL said it should be 80-cents for a 50-pound bag about 6.5 bags (325 lbs.) to earn the minimum wage or $6.72 an hour for 420 lbs.

 

In Mexico, wages are not pegged to the hour of labor rather by the day. Blue collar workers and agricultural field hands are paid around $6 a day working 48 hours a week but paid for 7 days, thus earning around $42 per week. The wages do not provide for the bare necessities for a family of 3 persons, let alone 4 or more. To these folks, earning $247 a week for 48 hours (@$5.15 hr) in Georgia represents around a 600% pay increase and possibly extra if they harvest more by working 10 hours a day, six days a week as most do. Easy to understand why they travel.

 

But by their willingness to work for $5.15 an hour, the Georgia farmers are able to state that the “prevailing wage” is that amount and that they cannot find Americans to do the same work for “prevailing wage.”

 

Faking not knowing has been easy because the present requirement is simply to send a form to the government attesting they have been shown papers indicating either citizenship or legal residency – be they real or fake.

 

But starting in 2007, legal residents will have to present near impossible to forge Green Cards.

 

One “we don’t know farmer” at the seminar was quoted by the AP saying, "If they start requiring us to send them (government) a register of the Green Cards, we're in trouble, I'd have to go out of business."

 

Some of the other farmers said they are “considering” enrolling in the H-2A temporary agricultural guest worker program. One of them said it would mean paying higher wages and raising the price of his crop.

 

How quickly they seem to suddenly know their workers were undocumented, remember there has been a “guest worker” program in existence for 42 years and will have to pay higher wages.

__________________________________________________________

Patrick Osio, Jr. is Editor of HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com). Contact at Posiojr@hispanicvista.com

(The opinions expressed by Patrick Osio, Jr. are solely his and do not necessarily reflect those of HispanicVista.com, editorial board of advisors or it’s contributing writers.)

Patrick Osio, Jr. has written a short but intensive manual on the Mexican perspective on numerous issues between our two countries. The manual is an in depth primer on the culture and protocol for better understanding Mexicans that in turn allows establishing personal and business relationships, and how to avoid the most common faux pas that can ruin relationships and business deals.

The manual is available through Electronic delivery for $9.95 making it possible to download the manual for save on your hard drive, printing its entirety or particular sections while reaping considerable savings over printed copies.