Ethics Migrant Tomato Workers

1407 Words3 Pages

Second Analysis Paper

The migrant tomato farm workers article discusses the aspect of being one of the nations most backbreaking jobs. These tomato workers work for 10 to 12 hours a day picking tomatoes by hand, earning a piece-rate of about 45 cents for every 32-pound bucket. Furthermore a typical day each migrant picks, carries and unloads two tons of tomatoes, and instead of trying to move forward and improve the quality of work and pay the tomato growers keep migrant workers pay as low as possible. The reason behind it is the pressure the tomato growers face for keeping their operation cost low. Although some of the pressure has come from increased competition with Mexican growers, most of it has been forcefully applied by the largest purchaser of Florida tomatoes the American fast food chains.

In 2005, Florida tomato pickers gained their first pay raise since 1970s when Taco Bell ended a consumer boycott by agreeing to pay the extra penny per pound that will go directly to the pickers. Shortly after McDonald’s agreed to a similar arrangement, increasing the wages of its tomato pickers to about 77 cents per bucket. However Burger King remained adamant in refusal to pay the extra penny, such action caused the tomato growers to cancel its increase wage deals with Taco Bell and Macdonald’s.

In according to such news, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange announced that it will not allow any of its members to collect the extra penny for farm workers, describing the surcharge for poor migrants as “pretty much near un-American.” Furthermore, the Florida Tomato Growers threatened a fine of $100,000 for any grower who accepts an extra penny per pound for migrant wages. The organization claims for such a fine is that such a surcharge would violate “federal and state laws related to antitrust, labor and racketeering.” Yet it has not explained how that extra penny would break those laws; nor has it explained why other surcharges routinely imposed by the growers (for things like higher fuel costs) are perfectly legal.

Burger King has played a prominent role in rescinding the pay raise offers, and justifying its behavior by claiming that it has no control over the labor practices of its suppliers. In solution to these human right abuses, Burger King suggested that the poor farm workers of southern Florida need more money; they should apply for jobs at its restaurants.

Show More
Related

  • Viva La Causa Summary

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Before the strike for higher wages began, migrant workers worked in very horrible conditions. Men, women, and children would work on these farms for only a dollar an hour. The

    Read More

  • Barry Estabrook's Tomatoland

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...toes, and without their knowledge they are supporting the chemical use and unfair treatment of workers. Use of hazardous chemicals like methyl iodine can be easily prevented with stronger regulations but Florida’s growers easily find loopholes within these regulations in order to prevent the loss of profits, because without chemicals there will be no tomato industry in Florida. Estabrook, goes into great detail on the implications that hazardous chemicals and the abuse of workers have caused due to the poor regulation created by the government and the little blame that is put on the executives of tomato farms when slavery or mistreatment of workers are linked to their companies.

    Read More

  • Commodity Chain of the Organic Avocado

    1968 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Michoacan state in Mexico has become the world’s largest producer of avocadoes. Although this vegetable is grown on farms throughout this state, it is also tied to an integral network of trade and export to countries across the globe. In this essay, I will argue that like any commodity chain study, the production of the organic Hass avocado has an intricate production process, which for my commodity chain study begins in Uruapan, Mexico a town in the state of Michoacan. This analysis has indicated the crucial underlying links to trade, labour, and demand that the export of this vegetable has created throughout North America and the rest of the world. I hope to establish these links in an attempt to ‘defetishize’ this commodity and bring about the broader and conflicting issues that have resulted between Mexico and nearby countries such as the United States and Canada. I will begin this research by briefly reviewing the actual process and networks that the organic Hass avocado forms from the farms in Uruapan and the path it takes to the grocery stores in Vancouver, Canada. Then look to the implications of NAFTA and other related issues that have affected the trading process of avocadoes and has created severe divisions between the USA and Mexico. I will establish the importance of the organic produce industry and its exports to further developed countries with increasing demand for these organic products. And conclude that the future of the organic produce industry may be struck with ongoing divisions, as it becomes more globalized, between larger organic agricultural firms and smaller organic farmers who rely heavil...

    Read More

  • Issues Surrounding the Migrant Farm Worker

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... and unsafe. The struggles the migrant farm worker faces are of the most severe of any industry, and yet, they are true to their craft. They always ensure the product they harvest meets the expectations of the American consumer.

    Read More

  • Food Workers At UNC Chapel Hill

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    Presently, workers in the fast food and minimum wage jobs seek respect and an increase in wages as it is a sector of the food industry that is underrepresented by unions. As cost of living increases in cities nationwide and the government subsidizes underpaid employees with welfare funds, organizations such as Real Food Real Workers and the Fight for $15 are demanding a raise in the minimum wage, particularly for food workers. Similarly to the food workers at UNC Chapel Hill, many minimum wage workers in the fast food industry are women and minorities, sectors of the labor pool already marginalized by wage disparity. The Fight for 15 movement has recently gained momentum in raising the minimum wage to $15 in California, New York, Seattle and the District of Columbia, and this year Arizona, Colorado, Maine, and Washington state voted to increase the minimum wage as well. In the 21 states where the minimum wage is still as low as $7.25, s minimum wage increase movement should partner with other organizations from outside labor unions such as women 's rights organizations and organizations similar to the BSM, including mass participation of solidarity with college campuses, to make a substantial statement about their work

    Read More

  • Summary In Shipler's The Working Poor: Invisible In America

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    The wages are very low compared to Americans doing similar work, even if they work the hardest out of all the employees of the business. Shipler in his book talks about a young woman named Candalaria, who works for a sewing company and receives payments by sewing jeans and makes only 5 cents for each fly she sews on the jeans. But, since she is an illegal immigrant she barely receives the minimum wage for her work. According to Shipler, “To make California’s minimum wage, which was $5.75 at the time, that added up to 767 flies an hour, allowing her just under 5 seconds for each fly” (Shipler). The work, Candalaria has to do, is twice as much work as any other worker does; in order for her to live on a low-budget. Giving workers less money for a lot of work may seem like a dream for the boss of the company, but it could be the polar opposite thought. Shipler states “Paying so little may seem like a boon for a boss, but he isn’t always delighted” (Shipler). Shipler points out that people who run the company and notice a person that does a lot of hard work; only to be paid in such low amounts of money can be upsetting to witness. But, as of late, California has been taking a better shape for illegal immigrants that come into the country looking for a better life. According to Greenblatt, “California was the most active state last year,

    Read More

  • Americans Benefit from the Abuse of Migrant Farm Workers

    2446 Words  | 5 Pages

    The phenomena of Migrant Workers would not be possible if the migrants were able to get jobs elsewhere, but as many come from Third-World Countries with little economic possibilities, this is not possible. What has resulted is an inexhaustible supply of cheap labor to the United States. This willingness on the part of the workers to work for wages otherwise unacceptable in the United States is problematic. Employers in this position are not under any pressure to reveal truthful, or even any information about wage rates, and many workers do not ask how much they will be paid. As a result, workers often do not know how much they will paid until they are thousands of miles away from their homes, and frequently not until they are paid at the end of a week. This is the story for the Mexican blueberry pickers in Maine, and the growing number of apple pickers who are Jamaican.

    Read More

  • Wage Theft in the Fast Food Industry

    1748 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fox, Emily Jane, ed. "McDonald's workers sue for wage theft." CNN Money. N.p., 13 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Organic Farming

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    More and more farm-to-table restaurants, farmer’s markets, and food co-ops are cropping up to meet the demand among consumers for healthy, local foods, as more chefs and consumers recognize the poorer taste and nutritional integrity of ingredients shipped in from far away. Fruits and vegetables that have to be shipped long distances are often picked before they have a chance to fully ripen and absorb nutrients from their surroundings. Because local food doesn’t have to travel long distances, it is grown in order to taste better and be healthier rather than to be resilient to long travel. The farm-to-table movement also helps local economies by supporting small farmers, which is a dying

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Illegal Immigration

    1292 Words  | 3 Pages

    With the current shift of globalization, many jobs are being outsourced overseas. Illegal immigration is being seen in jobs that cannot be outsourced, rather jobs that are insourced. These include jobs in the large scale agriculture, construction and meatpacking industry; which require labor to be done within the country. It also includes jobs in service industries where demand has seen a recent incline such as nannies, food service and landscaping (119). The sharp increase of demand roots from consumers’ dwindling free time; a result of more females working and a general longer work day. The change of labor structure has further created a demand for insourced

    Read More

  • The Farmer Market: The Rebirth Of The Farmers Market

    870 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... sell their product at a lower rate due to the transportation, storage, and marketing costs. Having the food sold through private markets, cuts out the middle man, and allows more money to end up back into the farms, which helps the farmer put money back into their business and other businesses. Money that goes back into local businesses then increases the local economy through a process called the multiplier effect. The multiplier effect is an economics term that is used to describe where a small investment of money is circulated back into the economy, it sets off a chain reaction that increases exponentially. For example, if a consumer gave the farmer $20 for his goods and the farmer spends three fifths of his income ($20 + (.06x$20)), $32 would be the amount of money available in the market from the initial $20 investment (Krugman, Paul R., and Robin Wells).

    Read More

  • Fast Food Workers Need Higher Wages

    2736 Words  | 6 Pages

    Fast-food workers have been protesting for a minimum wage of $15 dollars an hour and the freedom to unionize. The workers have organized numerous protests this year. During the protests they have walked out and chanted slogans regarding their pay. The main fast-food companies that are effected is McDonald's and Burger King. They both have stated that they will not press charges and indeed are allowing the workers to return. These workers that are participating in the strike doesn’t represent the majority of the fast-food employees. The people participating in the strike are not only youths but adults and elders as well. Due to the countries low employment rate many of these workers are supporting a family or other dependents. This is where most of the fast-food workers are getting their motivation to protest this industry. Unfortunately, many Americans are questioning the negative economic effects of their proposed wage and their lack of worthiness to receive that big of a pay raise. However, I believe that with some adjustment and research we can find a way to make everyone happy. My solution advises that we support Obama’s nine dollars an hour minimum wage proposal. It will give the fast-food workers financial support, release the burden of the taxpayer’s assistance, and keep inflation balanced.

    Read More

  • Bee-Utiful Cultivation Plant Case Study

    402 Words  | 1 Pages

    The prices of the plants is $1.00 per flower or vegetable plant and $1.25 for a heirloom plant. These numbers are based off a survey Rita created, asking a selected few how much they would pay for these plants. Based off this information, and the cost of supplies, Rita was able to determined a price. This price is lower than local or all natural competition, but it is not lower than large department or hardware stores. Despite this, Rita feels that price is not a huge factor in this industry. Naturally, a customer would rather pay extra for a plant that was healthy and large vs. a small, dry, and wilted plant. She believes that because of this, she still has an advantage over the competition.

    Read More

  • Monsanto Case Study

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    Monsanto is getting bigger and is now supplying their genetically altered crops to over 70 different countries including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and China. That’s over three quarters of the world’s food dominated by one company. They can control everything from the prices, to the farmers crop itself. Without any say, farmers from around the world are forced to pay whatever Monsanto wants because...

    Read More

  • Fast Food Industry

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    It has been estimated that one out of eight workers at some point of their career worked at McDonald's. Today there are approximately 3.5 million fast food workers and they constitute the largest group of the minimum wage earners in the country. According to Schlosser, "the only Americans who consistently earn a lower hourly wage are migrant farm workers ." "Fast Food Nation" is the story of the postwar America. Fast food industry has pushed the homogenization of our society. The author is very convincing in making his arguments and supports them with a wide variety of examples. It is impossible to disagree with what he is saying because the evidence in support to his statements is around us.

    Read More

More about Ethics Migrant Tomato Workers

Open Document