harvest on an illegal workforce seems especially vulnerable. Even un-
der current laws and circumstances, the use of illegal workers has
negative consequences for farmers, for workers and for society. Some
farm employers risk losing whole fields of perishable crops as their
workforces scatter in Border Patrol raids. Illegality also increases the
instability of the employment relationship for both employer and worker.
Illegal workers are currently vulnerable to exploitation by unscru-
pulous employers or third parties. Their illegal status provides an
opportunity for knowing employers to undercut labor standards and
to gain a competitive advantage over the majority of employers who
do meet their responsibilities under U.S. labor laws. Illegal workers
frequently pay exorbitant prices for false credentials, transportation
and housing (which is often substandard and unsafe). Under threat of
exposure, they can be compelled to pay a portion of their earnings to
“coyotes” who arrange for their entrance and employment.
Illegal workers are reluctant to report crimes perpetrated on them
or to seek needed medical and other social services. Over the longer
run, the availability of large numbers of illegal workers undercuts
competitive pressures to upgrade labor conditions and initiate em-
ployment stabilizing measures. Widespread violation of the nation’s
immigration laws is under question politically, socially, and econom-
ically by whose judgment?
Many agree that the current use of illegal workers is an undesirable
situation. Moreover, agriculture is unlikely to achieve continued ac-
cess to large numbers of foreign workers legally except under condi-
tions of stricter labor standards and greater legal, political, and
administrative hassle. The dependence of labor — intensive agricul-
ture on foreign workers is simply untenable without governmental
acquiescence or assistance. And achieving governmental acquiescence
or assistance is certain to cost a greater price over time.
Reality #4: Enormous Diversity in Existing Labor Management Prac-
tices
A final reality is the enormous diversity of labor management prac-
tices in American agriculture. While ugly practices do exist in certain
areas and commodities as testified to by the 1983 anti-slavery prose-
cutions against labor contractors and agricultural employers in Flor-
ida and North Carolina, at the same time other agricultural employers
in the same states offer workers income and conditions of employment
which compare favorably with standards in other industries.
Differences in agricultural labor management practices are reflected
in several key indicators such as the following:
Turnover Rates — Some agricultural firms must recruit as many
as 10 workers per job slot each month just to keep their harvest crews
maintained. (At this rate of replacement, keeping our Armed Forces
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