EnvEcon39: Informing Critical Choices in the Use of Natural Resources
Seminar session 11/10/99
Farm Labor Issues 2000
--Howard
Rosenberg
Questions for Discussion
2. Is trade liberalization resulting in movement of agricultural production to where labor is less expensive? If not, why?
3. Production of what types of agricultural products (a) requires the most labor, and (b) involves the largest seasonal differences in employment?
4. Why and how has the federal government facilitated immigration of people to perform farm work in the past?
5. Why is the poverty rate relatively high among farm workers?
6. What kinds of decisions do farmers make in procuring and managing farm labor?
7. What are the most important influences on these farm labor management decisions?
8. Why has the share of field work performed by employees of farm labor contractors been growing in California? Is that a good or bad thing?
9. What are the main arguments for and against allowing farm employers to recruit more workers from out of the country to come and perform seasonal ag jobs on a temporary basis?
10. Should people who have entered the U.S. illegally and are thus ineligible to work in the U.S. but have been employed in agriculture anyway be given legal authorization to stay in the farm workforce?
References
Useful Concepts and Terms
- Employment seasonality
- Labor intensive technologies
- Farm labor contractor
- Skilled work in agriculture
- Immigrant vs. Guestworker
- Bracero program
- Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
- Legal labor standards
- Targeted Industries Partnership Program
- California Agricultural Labor Relations Act and Board
- AgJOBS