Wages rise on California farms. Americans still don’t want the job

[Logwyn]

Well, if you move heavy industry production back to US from China, it is quite conceivable that while tech bubble is deflating there will be more demand for industrial workers then programmers. For some time, at least.

Isn't the manufacturing sector starting to move out of China already?

[Spectral]

Kek...
The example he gives is two drug addicts living on the streets. Probably could have offered them a job making $50/hr and they wouldn't have taken. It's not that they don't want that particular job, they simply just don't want to work.
Making a blanket statement implying all that Americans won't do something, when in fact only a few out of 320,000,000+ won't do it is very foolish.

Well, he tried and they didn't take him up on it, so clearly the only solution is more Mexicans. There's no way that this is a classic bootlegger and Baptist coalition of people that want to increase profit margins and people that just wanted to import more Mexicans in the first place. Nosireee. They're just looking out for the well-being of the rest of us. If they have to go up to as much as eighteen dollars per hour, wine's going to cost like $12 a bottle! Won't someone think of the children?

[Molis]

If immigrants want to do these jobs and Americans wont take them why not just give them a streamlined path to citizenship. Should be some sort of modified H1B1.
This guy from Silverado Farming has probably been taking advantage of illegal workers for years, and suddenly he wants to cry about it?


The expense of living in California does complicate the issue, however you can not tell me that the American workers in the rust belt would work in the fields instead of their old manufacturing job....probably not.

[Spectral]

If immigrants want to do these jobs and Americans wont take them why not just give them a streamlined path to citizenship. Should be some sort of modified H1B1.
This guy from Silverado Farming has probably been taking advantage of illegal workers for years, and suddenly he wants to cry about it?


The expense of living in California does complicate the issue, however you can not tell me that the American workers in the rust belt would work in the fields instead of their old manufacturing job....probably not.

While H1B visas have more recently been exploited by employers to just depress the wages of skilled labor, that's not actually what the point is supposed to be - they're supposed to be for skills that we have an actual shortage of. There is no plausible argument that we're short on the kind of labor required here - we just have cheapass capitalists that prefer to increase their profit margins with illegally cheap labor rather than pay the going domestic rate.

[Tijuana]

I hate articles like this, because they serve to keep alive a false premise: that every illegal alien who is working, is doing a job Americans won't do. It's true that seasonal, migrant picking is something few will do. But, that doesn't mean Americans won't be carpenters, plumbers, electricians, or other construction trades. Some of our best paying blue collar jobs have been over ran with cheap labor, and completely destroyed the labor market in their economic sector.

[Independent voter]

Isn't the manufacturing sector starting to move out of China already?

Yes, moving to Vietnam and Indochina.

[BannedForViews]

Duh. Things people knew already for $500 Alex.

Its been stated a thousand times before, immigrants are willing to do jobs and work that a lot of average Americans think themselves above. Its not a matter of wages, its the actual work involved. You'd had to offer a ridiculous wage before they'd start thinking about it.

This is false. There are farmers all over the country that are not immigrants. Yes, it is hard work, but that doesnt mean americans wont do it. The issue is california shoupdnt be an agricultural state. Farmers pay pennies on the dollar for water it is so heavily subsidized, and yes they can only afford to pay a worker 30k for back breaking labor? In a state that costs that much? Who wouldnt rsther work at mcdonalds, or even live off welfare. The issue here is thst dumb poor people are smarter than rich "smart" people give them credit for. They can do the mental math and find the path of least resistance. Who wouldnt rather watch tv all day and grab a check from the mailbox than slave in a field?

It isnt just the wages, its the cost of living and the alternatives. California taxation raises the cost of living and the prohibitive cost of growing in a place not well suited for it supresses mages and ultimately wages. If you could sell a bottle from kansas for 300 bucks, you damn well better believe americans would work those fields.

[Orange Joe]

While H1B visas have more recently been exploited by employers to just depress the wages of skilled labor, that's not actually what the point is supposed to be - they're supposed to be for skills that we have an actual shortage of. There is no plausible argument that we're short on the kind of labor required here - we just have cheapass capitalists that prefer to increase their profit margins with illegally cheap labor rather than pay the going domestic rate.

As someone that has to work 2 seasonal jobs. I can tell you why people don't want those jobs. Seasonal jobs suck ass. Biggest reason being is they are season. So you still end up having to look for work the rest of the year. And if you are lucky enough to find 2 seasonal jobs that don't overlap, you are going to have down time between the job where no income is an issue.

[Nadiru]

As someone that has to work 2 seasonal jobs. I can tell you why people don't want those jobs. Seasonal jobs suck ass. Biggest reason being is they are season. So you still end up having to look for work the rest of the year. And if you are lucky enough to find 2 seasonal jobs that don't overlap, you are going to have down time between the job where no income is an issue.

H1Bs aren't given out to seasonal workers.

[Orange Joe]

H1Bs aren't given out to seasonal workers.

Try reading the second half of what he said.

I'll make it easy for you.

There is no plausible argument that we're short on the kind of labor required here - we just have cheapass capitalists that prefer to increase their profit margins with illegally cheap labor rather than pay the going domestic rate.

[Berengil]

Any solutions??You know i'm from Eastern Europe , born in 70s ... I saw what socialism looks like ... And you saw shit ... Spoiled brat from rich parents /tap/tap......

I certainly don't support the sort of horrid nonsense that was done in the Warsaw pact nations, not at all. I'm an advocate of Democratic Socialism, similar to the Nordic countries.

I'm hardly a spoiled rich kid. My mother worked at Wal-Mart after I started kindergarten, and my dad did 3 years in the USMC, then 35 years at an elevator factory.

[Protean]

Aside from the whole skin cancer thing.

It's a subpar wage precisely because the US does not provide the level of public assistance that Denmark does. That wage is expected to cover transportation - meaning a car, as public transport in the US is utter garbage - housing, healthcare, education, food, et cetera.

Cars were up until recently taxed a whooping 150%. They lowered it now to 130%ish but that still means you pay more than the car is worth extra in taxes.

So that isn't it either.

Skin cancer fear is understandable, but it's the least dangerous cancer and you can use skin products to mitigate most of the dangers.

[Kaleredar]

$16 is the minimum wage in Denmark. Our taxes take at least 40% of that and our costs of living are as high (if not higher) compared to USA. Here $16 is more than enough to live off so not sure why you think it's a subpar wage.


Working in the sun is amazing and better for your health than standing in greasefumes all day.

How hot does it get in Denmark in the summer? maybe... 15, 16 degrees celsuis?

In the central valley of California it can easily reach 40+ celsius in the summer.

Nothing like a little heat stroke to keep you nice and healthy, right?

[Protean]

How hot does it get in Denmark in the summer? maybe... 15, 16 degrees celsuis?

In the central valley of California it can easily reach 40+ celsius in the summer.

Nothing like a little heat stroke to keep you nice and healthy, right?

Yeah all those dead immigrants without healthcare on those farms really stink up the place too.

OR

Workers are provided adequate measures to prevent that sort of thing because a dead worker isn't going to do the work.



Ps. at least take the time to look up how hot it gets in Denmark in the summer instead of spewing a random number

[Kaleredar]

Yeah all those dead immigrants without healthcare on those farms really stink up the place too.

OR

Workers are provided adequate measures to prevent that sort of thing because a dead worker isn't going to do the work.

The point is, it's not particularly "pro-health" work. You're hunched over all day in blistering heat

Immigrants do the work because... well, there aren't many other options. It's under the radar and no one is claiming anyone is stealing their job in any way they'd act on, because no one wants to do that work.

Ps. at least take the time to look up how hot it gets in Denmark in the summer instead of spewing a random number

http://www.visitdenmark.com/denmark/weather-denmark

"August tends to be the hottest month with average temperatures of 15.7˚C (60˚F)"

hmmm

Those temperatures are what you'd expect in the middle of the day in winter in the central valley.

[Macaquerie]

Yeah all those dead immigrants without healthcare on those farms really stink up the place too.

OR

Workers are provided adequate measures to prevent that sort of thing because a dead worker isn't going to do the work.



Ps. at least take the time to look up how hot it gets in Denmark in the summer instead of spewing a random number

The thing is, Mexicans have been on this continent for thousands of years and have been adapted to survive and work in the heat and harsh weather, whereas whites have only been around for a few hundred years and are generally better suited to colder climates like in the Northeast which are more similar to Europe. In certain, specific, and narrow cases, race really does matter, and this is definitely one of them.

[Deleted]

The thing is, Mexicans have been on this continent for thousands of years and have been adapted to survive and work in the heat and harsh weather, whereas whites have only been around for a few hundred years and are generally better suited to colder climates like in the Northeast which are more similar to Europe. In certain, specific, and narrow cases, race really does matter, and this is definitely one of them.

You're missing the point.

Every intelligent human would agree that working in the fields in 40°C sucks.

And no, there is no race which is more suited for hunchback work in the heat. We got over that for 2 centuries now.

[Deleted]

Rich people trying to pay sub par wages. He does it because he can. $16 a hour isn't enough to feed a family and most places pay $15 hr minimum on that side of the country to flip burgers...lets see, hot sun all day dusk till dawn or Air-conditioned McD's.

I know what I would do.

California fields r prob full of snakes too!

[Puremallace]

These guys wanted Trump well guess what you got him. Sorry my ancestors picked enough crops in Italy and America for centuries to have their decedents in the fields.

[zenkai]

Immigrants are the people who do farm labor in the US, mostly Mexican and mostly illegal.

Even at $16 an hour American citizens don't want the jobs, it's hard work in the open sun often in remote areas.


.

Kick them off wellfare, problem solved.