Take Our Jobs

In an effort to show Americans how grueling farmwork really is, the United Farm Workers of America is teaming up with Stephen Colbert in a “Take Our Jobs” campaign. Unemployed Americans – and any anti-immigration activists – can sign up to work in the fields simply by visiting http://www.takeourjobs.org and submitting contact information.

Those who have done the job have some words of advice for applicants: First, dress appropriately.
During summer, when the harvest of fruits and vegetables is in full swing in California’s Central Valley, temperatures hover in the triple digits. Heat exhaustion is one of the reasons farm labor consistently makes the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ top ten list of the nation’s most dangerous jobs.
Second, expect long days. Growers have a small window to pick fruit before it is overripe.
And don’t count on a big paycheck. Farm workers are excluded from federal overtime provisions, and small farms don’t even have to pay the minimum wage. Fifteen states don’t require farm labor to be covered by workers compensation laws. Via Yahoo

But will these new workers be sprayed with pesticides or be beaten or chained inside box trucks? Probably not. That would be UnAmerican.

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