• Elimination of hassles from the Border Patrol (By strict as-
sociation policy, no undocumented workers are utilized; they
are simply not needed.)
• Average hourly earnings rose to $6.54 in 1982 with a full
fringe benefit package
• Opportunities for promotions became available to harvesters
so that now virtually everyone on staff is a former picker.
Adjustment to the New Realities
As we have seen, contrary to conventional wisdom, hired labor is an
important ingredient of production in American agriculture. Declines
in the numbers of hired workers have recently stabilized and the pro-
portion of agricultural work performed by hired labor is growing.
Rising expectations of American workers, increased competition from
nonagricultural employers and perhaps most of all, prospects for change
in American immigration policy, call into question the continued
availability of large supplies of workers for labor intensive agriculture.
Moreover, many of the exemptions and exclusions traditionally granted
to agriculture in American labor laws have been eliminated. Prospects
for future change appear to be in the direction of closing the gap be-
tween farm and nonfarm employment — or even providing greater
protection for farmworkers.
All of these factors portend major adjustments in the practices of
certain segments of American agriculture. Agricultural labor man-
agement can no longer be ignored as a part of agricultural production.
Under the new realities, the ability of farm employers to recruit and
retain workers will be directly related to their ability to make the jobs
attractive.
This means structuring work to make upgrading and career oppor-
tunities available to agricultural workers. It means providing skill
training to workers. It means increasing productivity, improving labor
utilization, and extending the duration of employment so that worker
incomes can be improved. It also means conducting research on har-
vest aids which improve the work environment as well as increase
productivity.
The new realities also call for greater attention to job matching
mechanisms and labor market intermediaries in agricultural labor
markets. The public employment service can be improved both for
workers and for employers. Some farmers may have to join in coop-
erative ventures to be able to offer extended employment to workers
(as they did under the Bracero program).
Adjustment will not be easy but there is reason for optimism. Indeed
the seeds of change already have been sown by innovative and pro-
gressive farm employers who have stabilized their employment, pieced
together seasonal work into year-round jobs (where possible), and who
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