State of Oregon Agriculture
Oregon, along with neighboring states of Washington and California, typically has the highest agricultural wage rates in the US (excluding Hawaii), averaging nearly $11.00 per hour. Wages in Mexico are less than $4.00 per day. Even at present wage rates, it is difficult to attract domestic workers to on-farm jobs. However, workers from Mexico find these wages attractive and have been willing to enter the US under illegal conditions to work in agriculture.
Policy recommendations
Urge Congress and the President to quickly pass immigration reform legislation so that employers and employees know the rules and processes for legal employment in agriculture.
Repeal legislation requiring proof of citizenship for an Oregon's driver's license.
Your state department of Agriculture at work. Their primary concern is that we shouldn't require that drivers be legal citizens.
And while I'm sure that workers from Mexico are willing to break the law for $11/hour is there any chance that a legal worker from Oregon who is one of the 12% unemployed might be willing to work legally for that wage?
Does the department of agriculture want to give employment opportunities to Oregonians or Mexicans?
NOTE: It's very telling that this same Ag report doesn't suggest breaking the law with regards to farmers being to water their crops but instead says that they should support "the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds."
3 comments:
......crickets.
The H2a Farm worker Visa has no annual limits.
Farmers can LEGALLY hire all the Foreigners that they want to hire.
But they hate paperwork and the Illegal's do not want to be an endentured Servant.
So they work in Construction or in Factories instead.
Bottom line? Farmers you need to use your Tax assistancegovernment money to buy Machines and give up the stoop labor.
This is marvelous news. As Oregonians are too lazy to do the work, the Dept of Ag is ensuring that undocumented Americans will be able to fill the need. Finally a common sense approach.
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