One of the main reasons this state is flooded with illegal aliens is due to the farmers, especially those in the Central Valley. The farmers actually love the illegals because they can exploit the Hell out of them whereas that would be harder to do with legal workers. The state spent many years forcing the farmers to provide transportation to the fields, water and shade for workers, adequate rest and lunch breaks, etc. Some farmers have been required to pay for housing for the farm workers, but this housing is often in terrible condition. Of course, the farmers fought every single one of these regulations every single step of the way.
The farmers are always screaming, “Labor shortage!” Translation? More illegals, please. There really is no labor shortage for agricultural workers in the state. The counties around here tend to average 10-15% unemployment at any given time. Does that sound like a labor shortage to you.
The real problem is that the farmers often refuse to hire American citizens to work in their fields! They especially hate legal workers associated with Cesar Chavez’ United Farm Workers (UFW), a union which the farmers utterly despise. UFW workers claim that there are no labor shortages but only farmers who refuse to hire UFW workers and hence do not have enough labor.
While the name Cesar Chavez rings a heroic bell with many Americans, around here, that man’s name is a lightning rod. Many farmers around here absolutely hate his guts.
The organizing of the ag workers in this Valley is a story of itself. The growers called them Communists and said they were being controlled by middle class White Communist agitators from urban areas who came to stir up those happy farm workers, smiling in the sun. There were beatings, arrests, and even murders of farm workers and especially union organizers. The cops were all utterly corrupt and were in bed with the farmers, framing farm workers and labor organizers on one phony charge after another.
I am not sure how things are now, but the last figure I read said that 80% of California agricultural workers receive less than the minimum wage.
Nice people! Those poor downtrodden farmers! Oh how they suffer to grow us our food! The poor things!
