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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 1988)
Continued from Page 1 t;rs recruited more than they needed to avoid a similar short age.” Joe Rivera is another counsel or at the Chicano Affairs Center and oversees the shelters. He said the surplus of workers this year also shortened the length of the harvest, so those who did find work were employed for a shorter period. "And when they did work on the farms, 90 per cent lived in substandard housing, in tents or barns, without running wa ter or cooking facilities.” Ri vera said. "One place near Har risburg was charging 60 work ers $05 a month each to share five tents." Rivera also said it is common for employers to take advantage of the surplus of workers and pay them less than the going rate for their work as the mi grants fear losing their jobs in the tight market. Simon Rojos, who stays at a migrant shelter, said he worked 11-hour shifts in a waterbed factory for less than three dol lars an hour, but tolerated this because it was his first source of income in months. Although he now works in a mill, he said high rents in the area absorb most of his income. “I used to send what money I could to my wife and children in Mexico," Rojos said in Spanish. "But now it's a strug gle to survive from day to day." Martin Hernandez also lived in migrant camps in Oregon over the summer. He said a common practice of those who ran the camps was to charge workers a "deposit" of around $50 in addition to rent. He said that frequently the deposit was never returned. In any case, when the harvest ends the camps are disbanded and the workers are out on their own. “Somos vondidos,” Hernan dez said. “We are sold.” Migrant workers are reluctant to report these abuses because they often fear deportation and rarely know English. “They live in fear of the criminals and the authorities,” Olaldes said. Salvadore Garcia is a home less worker who was assaulted two weeks ago as he was walk ing from the Eugene Mission to a nearby store. "Two men demanded that I give them my money,” he said in Spanish. “I told them I didn't have any and they stabbed me in the side." Although Garcia is now out of the hospital, he lost his job during his absence. He "aid many migrant workers avoid the Mission because of the crime and danger nearby. In addition to these dif ficulties, many former employ ers are reluctant to provide workers with documentation and work records so workers can apply for immigration am nestv. According the Immigration Amnesty Act, Mexican citizens in the United States are eligible for amnesty if they can prove they have completed at least 90 days of agricultural work in the United States from May 1985 to May 198(3, Signed statements from former employers are es sential proof for amnesty. Hoth Rojos and Hernandez have had former employers deny that they worked for them. Hernandez traveled from Spokane, Wash., to Fresno. Calif., to personally deliver his forms for signing and was re fused. The deadline for appli cation for amnesty is November 30. University Neighborhood Dentist Gentle care for students for 16 years. Student Discount Available J. Scott Baxter, d.m.d..p.c. 622 E. 22nd Ave Building F (corner of Patterson & 22nd) 344-6371 THE FAR SIDE By GARY LARSON Hut Rivera is suspicious of the new law, even though he helps people comply with it. He sees as particularly trouble some a provision that requires applicants to pass a compre hensive English, American his tory and citizenship examina tion within 30 months of the deadline. "Most of these people don't have more than a sixth grade education in their own coun try.” Rivera said. "They also work hard and put in long hours. How can we expect them to learn all this in two and a half years? "This new immigration law will create a police state,” he said. "Once they have every one registered and tagged, it will be a lot easier to deport them when they fail the test.” Still, Rivera and Olalde refer workers interested in learning English to the University of Or egon's High School Equiva lency program, which has pro grams to help migrants learn English. Rivera also said the new im migration law can do little to curb employer abuses. "Farmers will still find and hire undocumented workers be cause they know they can get away with paying them less.” Rivera said. "This has been go ing on for years and years, hut only the big influx this year has brought it to public attention." Apparently the right people have been listening. According to an Associated Press article, the Legislative Emergency Board on Friday approved a $500,000 emergency fund to help homeless migrant work ers. The board also also estab lished a center for homeless workers in a former Governor’s residence to receive donations and coordinate volunteer ef forts to help migrants. Governor Neil Goldschmidt and former Governor Bob Straub strongly urged approval of the funds in a joint appear ance before a board subcommit tee on Thursday. According to an article in Friday's Statesman-Journal, Goldschmidt and Straub made emotional pitches before the subcommittee for migrant aid. “It’s a disgrace we’ve made no headway in 30 years,” Straub said. “It’s time to buck le down and deal with this in a humane and decent way....Half a million dollars can alleviate a lot of human suffering that otherwise may may well result in the death of people this winter.” oml: Get a 14” 1 item 5.25 PLUS ONE 32-oz. PEPSI NAME_ ADDRESS. 687 8600 • 1432 Orchard ONE COUPON PER PIZZA • Expires 11/21/88 —U OBookstore— Make your own movies! VIDEO CAMERA RENTALS OQ95 £JS3 per " DAY 4935. END | 13th & Kincaid I Iff IMF t 30 5 10 SAT 10 00 5 00 BOOKSTORE 686 4331
