Immigrant Farmworkers and the Hidden Cost of Cheap Food

Dan Fiedler, MPH CandidateHunter College, New York, NY

U.S. Agriculture Industry

• Heavily dependent on farm labor, especially fruit, tree nuts, vegetables, and horticulture

• One of the most dangerous industries in the U.S. in terms of workplace fatalities and injuries.

• Agriculture and livestock production is 2% of U.S. workforce but represents 13% of all occupational deaths from 1994 to 1999

• 2nd largest industry in Texas

Approximately 2.5 million migrant and seasonal farmworkers work in the U.S. each year.

– Seasonal Farmworker• During the preceding 12 months worked at least an

aggregate of 25 or more days or parts of days in which some work was performed in farm work;

• Was not employed in farm work year round by the same employer.

– Migrant Farmworker • Is a Seasonal Farmworker who had to travel to do the farm

work;• Was unable to return to his/her permanent residence within

the same day.

Place of Birth

Migrant Stream

Employment Eligibility

Workforce Characteristics• Young: average age is 33; half are younger than 31.• Male: 79%• Spanish-speaking:

• 81% Spanish is native tongue • 53% cannot read English• 44% cannot speak English

• Average highest level of education: 7th grade• Average hourly wage: $7.25• Average annual income: $10,000-$12,499• Average work week: 60-70 hours• Uninsured: 85% (compared to 37% low-income adults nationally)• Contract laborers

Jim Crow Legacy

• Farmworkers excluded from New Deal and subsequent labor and employment protections

– Roosevelt had to exclude agricultural workers from basic wage and hour protections because of pressure from Southern segregationists who feared protections would put primarily African American workforce on equal footing with whites.

– Excluded from: weekly day of rest, overtime pay, disability insurance, equal unemployment insurance coverage, and collective bargaining protection

State and Federal Programs

• Although agricultural workers may have legal right to food stamps, Medicaid, SCHIP, WIC, etc., limited English skills can make it difficult to apply.

• State-based programs make it difficult for workers who cross state lines.

Health Risks

• Chronic disease

• Infectious disease

• Hearing and vision disorders

• Skin disorders

• Lung problems

• Strained muscles and bones

Exposures

• Pesticides, dust, plant pollen, molds, etc.

Injuries

• Falls, heat stress, dehydration, pesticide poisoning, heavy equipment

Living Conditions

• Overcrowded, often lacking basic sanitation and clean water

Cheap Food Comes at a Cost!

• Wages make up only 6 cents out of every dollar charged for produce in a supermarket

• U.S. spends least amount of household budget on food

• Higher wages = improved living conditions

Resources• U.S. Department of Labor, National

Agricultural Workers Survey • National Center for Farmworker Health,

www.ncfh.org• Coalition of Immokalee Workers,

www.ciw-online.org/• Illegal People: How Globalization Creates

Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants, David Bacon