Posted on 07/27/2005 10:22:47 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan
My first job at the age of fourteen or so was packing fresh peas that others harvested from the field just outside the building door. I remember that the farmer who offered me the summer job through my schoolfriend (his daughter), made a very big deal out of me having to first obtain a social security card/number before he could/would put me to work.
I don't know what's wrong with the same policies today for hiring. 'Course, I applied for and got a SScard the right/legal way, but it sure should not be such a big deal for any potential employer to verify a number before he actually employs anyone.
I read that the illegal workers have problems there/this article, but I don't see anything mentioned about any penalties levied against the farmers/employers...they complain about a "worker" problem and yet seem oblivious to their own bad deeds in having hired - and apparently still seeking - illegal workers.
I also notice that the people quoted in the article complain about enforcement issues and yet make no attempts to apologize their own behaviors..."husbands can't go when grocery shopping" and such, but what about, hey, "we're sorry, we here illegally."
They have to hide and complain about the inconvenience, yeet make no offer of apology for being here illegally, having housing and jobs, groceries from local stores, churches, all that and yet in the country illegally.
The people who employ them along with the people themselves who continue to insist on normalacy and complain about it when it's interrupted and yet refuse to hone up for their own disrespect for immigration laws (among others almost certainly being violated) are so disappointing to my view to read about, daily.
They're in the country by illegal means. They stay in the country by illegal means. People employ them by illegal means. That means, they're committing criminal behavior.
How inconvenient, can't show a face in the local grocery store...so...~hey, blame the store!~
more and more produce is coming from other countries. even whole foods who blathers on about local farmers gets massive amounts of produce from south america and mexico
Exactly right! That's why this doesn't pass the smell test. Cherries in particular, are not picked, but rather the tree is shaken by a machine designed for the job. At least that technological achevement was touted at the last Traverse City Cherry Festival I attended. Hell, most years they bring in cherries from Washington state because of weather or they're not ripe yet.
The laborers set up the machines, drive the trucks, empty the trucks, etc.
"Sort of reminds one of the several reasons the Civil War began: "
Oh come on now, don't be a history revisionist. *Everyone* knows the civil war began over slavery.
/sarcasm.
Make employers pay the deportation costs if found to have knowlingly hired illegals.
Send your elected representatives a peso for their campaign contribution.
Start using chain gangs for cheap labor.
If an illegal wants to become legal, put him to work on the border building a wall first.
Any more ideas out there?
I want to know the particulars of his business model, and why it is he needs stoop labor in the new high tech era.
Agreed. Haven't seen and crackdown where I live- and I'm right in the middle of blueberry country.
[[Farmers in northwestern Michigan's fruit belt say that fears of a federal crackdown on illegal immigrants are leaving them desperately short of labor this harvest season.]]
Translation: Now we might have to pay REAL American wages and pay these people on the books and we arent willing to do that. We are addicted to cheap labor that we can abuse.
Thanks for the ping. GRRReat FReeper comments bump!
The master planners understand the public wants something done about illegal aliens, so rather than raid the cities where they are sitting on a stoop getting drunk in the middle of the day and living off the government teat, they are raiding the fruit farms during harvest season, hoping it will produce such an outcry among fruit farmers and consumers the public will back off on their calls for enforcement.
The armies of professional unemployed in Michigan's big cities will not do the picking for the simple reason that (1)suckling off the government teat pays better and (2)they don't know how to work. Replacing illegal aliens with such people won't happe overnight. Accordingly, a limited number of guest worker permits should be offered in exchange for counties who make meaningful economic reforms and promote cooperation rather than reconquistador hostility toweard the United States.
Were that done, I'd suspect we would have an ample supply of seasonal workers from Poland, Bulgaria and OTMs who want their countries of origin to become more like America rather than the reverse.
Cherries for processing (tart cherries for pies, etc.) and certain sweet cherries for processing (e.g., marcino) are mechanically harvested.
Those sweet cherries you like to buy by the pound or quart in your local WalMart produce section are hand-picked.
And before you go blaming the farmer for doing something illegal, I suggest you read the instructions for filling out an I-9 form.
http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/files/i-9.pdf
" Anti-Discrimination Notice. It is illegal to discriminate against any individual (other than an alien not authorized to work in theU.S.) in hiring, discharging, or recruiting or referring for a fee because of that individual's national origin or citizenship status. It is illegal to discriminate against work eligible individuals. Employers CANNOT specify which document(s) they will accept from an employee. The refusal to hire an individual because of a future expiration date may also constitute illegal discrimination."
All employers are warned against illegal discrimination. Just suspecting someone might be illegal is not enough. If the prospective employee provides you with any of the listed documents, you have no grounds to refuse to hire them.
Imagine for a moment you are driving thru, say, French-speaking Canada, and are constantly stopped by the cops and under threat of arrest unless and until you can prove you are there legally. Even though you HAVE complied with all laws, you will not appreciate the experience, and I doubt you will return. Where does it say in the article that the lady being quoted is here illegally?
Don't worry, be happy.
Just make sure your work force is legal.
This wink and nod crap has gone on too long.
Didn't blame the farmer, only said the tech is available. Regards.
Wake up and smell the coffee, Wunsch. You will either automate the harvesting, or you will have to find some other crop that can be automated. Yes, the low wages you pay to illegals keeps the price of cherries down, but all the taxpayers, not just the cherry eaters, in your county and state pick up the tab for medical expenses, more crime etc. caused by this invasion, and they are growing sick of it. The labor situation certainly won't be better next year with both borders being patroled by citizens in the Minuteman Movement. Times have changed, and you have to change with them.
There are for sure less migrant workers where I live which is in in middle of apple and peach orchards.
I attribute *some* of that to producers performing more and more apple fruit thinning by means of chemicals (e.g. Fruitone N, Accel) and the real hot weather resulting in more thinning than was expected by use of the chemicals.
For the orchard across the road, there's been no workers living in the housing next to the orchard. Last year and prior, they would have been in there around July 15.
Well said.
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