Summary: The Injustice Of Farm Labor

Farm Laborers: Injustice in the Fields
Immigrant workers come to America in search of a better life. However, when they arrive they are faced with numerous hardships: inability to speak English, discrimination, and unfair wages in the worst jobs available. Due to earning low wages, immigrants live in unacceptable housing conditions. Because of their illegal status in the United States, immigrants are constantly taken advantage of. In spite of the pain and suffering, field workers still work very hard to pick the fruits and vegetables American shoppers demand. The legal status of farm laborers should not justify the unfair way they are treated; therefore, illegal laborers should receive fair wages and safer working conditions.
The majority
Field workers are exposed to hot climates and are forced to work without breaks even though the laws entitles workers to have ten minute breaks for every four hours worked. Farmers take advantage of the fact that immigrant field workers will not report the injustices for fear of deportation. When discussing farm labor, photojournalist, author, political activist and union organizer, David Bacon emphasizes “farm labor is very dangerous, with one of the highest rates of occupational injury” (32). For the reason that farm labor is so dangerous, farmers must provide a safe environment for the workers because they are human beings and they deserve no less. Farmers must provide breaks that are more frequent when the weather is too hot and they must provide field workers with proper equipment when spraying fields with pesticides to avoid possible poisoning from exposure to harmful chemicals. The United States Government must enforce stricter laws to inspect agricultural businesses to make sure they are treating workers right. When discussing change for the unprotected workforce Associate Professor of Chicano Studies and Urban Planning Abel Valenzuela Jr asserts that, “fair and humane immigration reform must include a path toward legalization, a policy shift and especially the immigrant rights movement. Without this employers will continue to exploit and abuse with impunity” (Valenzuela 29). In order to cause change, migrant
The undocumented community accepts this kind of treatment because they do not have a voice. Change must come for this community because they work hard and have the right to public services they are paying for. This country attracts immigrants because they believe they will have ‘a better life’, but the reality is immigrants are at the bottom of population. Low wages, inhumane housing, and dangerous working conditions do not allow these people to make lives that are more suitable for themselves and their families. Undocumented migrant workers must have a fair chance of trying to succeed in this country, yet they are treated unfairly. Every person living in this country has the right to live the American dream, but instead undocumented migrant farm workers are living the American