Transnational Labor in the Age of Globalization: Labor Organizing at the Farm Labor Organizing Committee
Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Neoliberal governance is creating different kinds of transnational subjects, and is particularly threatening the positions of vulnerable groups such as non-citizens, undocumented workers, and their family members.In such a political and cultural climate, FLOC becomes an essential advocacy organization for a group that I have labeled "precarious workers" who often work in the informal economy.FLOC advocates about wages, working conditions, housing, safety, and family and immigration issues -a broad political agenda which addresses many of the concerns of a workforce dominated by Mexican workers who have been brought to the United States to perform work that many others would refuse because of its low-paid and hazardous nature.This thesis uses a combination of theoretical perspectives to analyze these experiences: Studies of Precariousness; Studies of Economic Liberalism, Globalization, and NAFTA; and Latino/a Studies.Dangerous, Poorly-Paid Experiences of Farm Workers Farm workers are the second lowest paid labor force in the United States (US Dept. of Labor).The average national income for migrant farm workers is $11,000.Agriculture contributes $59 billion to North Carolina's economy annually (Gale Jr., Foreman, and Capehart 2000), yet almost 50% of North Carolina farm workers cannot afford to feed their families (North Carolina Farmworker Institute 2012).Along with making miniscule wages, tobacco farm workers are regularly treated as if they are less than human; they are forced to work and live in unsanitary and inhumane conditions that violate internationally recognized standards (Oxfam America Inc. 2011).Farm workers generally reside in employer-provided living quarters, which do not provide sanitary living conditions.The inadequate conditions often include nonfunctional toilets and showers, lack of heat, over-crowding, as well as infestations of insects and rodents.Mattresses are often dirty or wet from leaky roofs.Infestations of insects, rodents and cockroaches are common.Sanitation facilities are inadequate and bathing and laundry facilities are often non-functioning.Workers must sleep in unventilated, overcrowded sleeping spaces.A recent study found that 89% of migrant labor camps in North Carolina had more than one infringement of the Migrant Housing Act of North Carolina.Of the workers surveyed, 78% reported feeling as if they live in crowded living situations (Vallejos, Quandt, Grzywacz, Isom, Chen, Galva, Whalley, Chatterjee, and Arcury 2011).According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, agriculture is ranked as one of the most dangerous jobs in the US (U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2008).Green Tobacco Sickness, long periods of sun exposure, injuries, heat stress, heat stroke, and pesticide exposure are all routinely experienced by farm workers.Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS) is a form of nicotine poisoning resulting from absorption of nicotine through the skin as a result of working long hours in tobacco fields.During a 10 week study on GTS conducted by Wake Forest University School of Medicine, 24% of farm workers suffered from GTS; symptoms of GTS include nausea, vomiting, headaches, and dizziness (Arcury, Quandt, Preisser, and Norton 2001).The American Journal of Industrial Medicine reported that 41% of farm workers reported having suffered from GTS at least once during the harvesting season.Working with wet tobacco or wearing wet clothing while working increases the risk of GTS.GTS is highly preventable and could be avoided if farm workers were provided with the proper protective clothing (Quandt, Arcury, Preisser, Norton, and Austin 2000).
Author: Laurie Michaels
Institution: University of Toledo
Language: English
Topic: Labor Movements and Unions
Subfield: Industrial relations
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2297252446