Migrant workers

The question of migrant labor has bothered me since seeing an exposé on 60 Minutes many years ago on the sub-human conditions some Florida citrus pickers lived in: shacks with holes in the floorboards, unspeakable toilet situations, company stores with overinflated prices so workers ended up owing the farmers money. I was appalled.

And yet it continues across North America, and probably in other countries too.

In our desire for cheap food, we create tight profit margins for farmers, so they squeeze their workers. And agribusiness is out to make megabucks, so it cuts corners wherever it can. Illegal immigrant migrant workers have no power at all, so they are the easiest to take advantage of.

It's one of the dark secrets of the food industry - the way we treat the people who plant and harvest our food.

Organic farmers can treat their migrant fieldworkers as badly as non-organic, but at least the workers aren't exposed to pesticides.

The good news is that some farmers take really good care of their workers. Penning's Organic Farm in Ontario, Canada, runs a literacy program. Literacy workers live and work alongside the migrant workers, and create tailor-made English and math lessons to advance their academic skills.

Unfortunately, supportive employers are the exception, not the rule. Because many migrant workers are illegal immigrants, they are powerless to stand up for their rights, and vulnerable to abuse. Earlier this month, migrant farmers in Simcoe, Ontario, went on strike because they were not being paid. Many were deported.

I read a book recently called Highwire Moon, by southern Californian novelist Susan Straight (HoughtonMifflin 2001 and Anchor Books 2002 - National Book Award Finalist). It's the story of a mother and daughter separated by the U.S. - Mexican border. Of most interest to me were the descriptions of working in the fields and living in the migrant labor camps. This is not a polemic. It's a story of family and survival. And I recommend it for its harsh but not strident look into where our food comes from.