Street Roots • Aug. 3-9, 2018
News
Page 4
BMIll
The hands
that feed us
' ■
How farmworkers, nationally and
in Oregon, are faring in an era of
immigration crack-downs, housing
insecurity, rising temperatures and
uncertainty
Western, panelists and speakers discussed
how America’s farmworkers are living in a
constant state of fear under ramped-up
t the height of a sweltering
immigration enforcement, while at the
afternoon in late July, more
same time continuing to face economic
than a hundred people
hardship and housing difficulties that have
descended from a caravan of
persisted in their communities for decades.
air-conditioned Blue Star
Farmworkers’ very existence is crucial to
■buses onto Oregon Sen.
meeting one of humanity’s most basic
Chuck Thomsen’s (R-Hood River) Hood
needs for survival, but throughout U.S,
River Valley orchard. They were there to
history, they’ve received fewer rights,
tour several rows of modest labor housing
■wuryu tf yutirivm
to
nestled in a grove o f pear trees o n t h e ^ J
hazardous working conditions than people
senator’s family farm.
in most other occupations.
The housing wasn’t impressive, but it
While American workers have benefited
wasn’t dilapidated either. Closer to the size
from overtime pay and minimum wage laws
of tool sheds than typical American homes,
under the Fair Labor Standards Act, for 80
some of the tiny single-story housing units
years, farmworkers have continued to be
had satellite dishes protruding from their
excluded. The agricultural industry is also
roofs and flowers planted at their stoops.
Children’s toys and other evidence of family exempt from child labor laws.
It’s only in Oregon’s fields that children
life dotted the courtyard, along with
as young as 9 can work legally, even when
barbecues, bicycles and laundry suspended
the farm is not
from makeshift
owned by their
clotheslines strung
guardians. Other
from one exterior wall
states set the
to another.
We aeed le elevate the ©co
minimum work age
“We wouldn’t be
attinie situati©» fo r farm work
in agriculture
where we are today
ers I» this c© m tryr or else
between 10 and 16,
without migrant labor
according to the
we'*e aet g ©lag to h a w a fri»
from Mexico,”
ILS. Department of
Thomsen told the
©altaral w o rke rs". .
Labor.
group.
Despite massive
His employees had
~ ARTURO RODRIGUEZ
U N IT E D F A R M W O R K E R S labor movements
no idea the tour was
and attempts to
coming through that
organize
day, he said, so what
farmworkers, only
they were seeing was
piecemeal improvements to their living and
unstaged. He encouraged his guests to ask
working conditions have been made
the farmworkers to see inside their homes
through the years.
As visitors wandered around snapping
But America’s age-old practice of
photos with smartphones and chatting
devaluing and exploiting this labor force has
among themselves, Thomsen’s employees
taken its toll, and now farmers are paying
and their children dodged between them,
the price.
going about their business.
With the decline in immigration from
Thomsen had invited the enclave of
Latin America and the increase in job
government officials, growers, farmworker
opportunities away from fields and
advocates and housing professionals to his
orchards, far fewer laborers are seeking
property as part of CASA of Oregon’s
what’s readily acknowledged as grueling
annual Farmworker Housing Conference.
work for low pay on American farms.
The nonprofit was founded three decades
“We need to elevate the economic
ago to address the housing needs of
situation for farmworkers in this country, or
Oregon’s farmworkers.
• Earlier that day at the Hood River Best
BY EM ILY GREEN
SENIO R STAFF REPORTER
/v
See FARMWORKERS, page 5