Through our visit to many farms and factories, one topic that stood out and caught my attention is labor justice in food system concerning migrant workers in particular. This trips has been a wonderful chance for me to view what I learned about US food system in my seminar through a real-world lens. Believe it or not, migrant workers are the major forces that keep US food system operating. indeed ,among 20 millions workers employed in US food industries,more than half of them are migrant workers and most of them come from Mexican. Migrant workers contributes about 80% of profits in the food industries. In Adam County, which is one of the biggest apple produces in the nation, migrants workers are the major labor sources for labor intensive tasks like picking up apples during harvest season. They leave their home for a better future in the united states. They are hardworking and determined to earn money to send back home for their families. Talking to the owner of the Hollabugh fruit farm and market, I saw the same appreciation for workers. Hollabaugh farm’s owner really appreciate for all the work of her workers. She created good relationship with them, never let anyone imposed the stereotype of uneducated, lazy migrant workers on them. On the contrary, the workers are skillful, hardworking, responsible and very patient. I was also impressed by her treatment towards the workers. They are not mistreated like what I saw in documentaries about big fast food companies.The workers are paid fairly like anyone. Everyone starts with minimum wage of $8/bin but as they continue working the majority of them earn $20/bin. On the contrary, the manger of turkey processing facility “Plain Ville Farm” didn’t show much support to his workers. In our conversation, he addressed more about workers’ productivity and profit than ethic and healthy issues that a workers at a fast assembly line may encounter. Our visit to Hollabaugh farm also interested me as the owner address many issues concerning migrant workers. There has been a lack of documented migrants in the United States, which has led to a shortages of labor for many farms in the United States. Thus, many farmers may risk taking in undocumented workers as long as they pass basic checking procedure like presenting identification documents. Another problem is that although undocumented workers are deprived from many legal benefits, they have to pay all the taxes like other documented workers. This makes us wonder that if they work hard and contribute to the economy, whey can’t they receive legal identification to have better chance of finding job and living an easier life.
foodjusticeadamscounty2013 