Merced farmers weigh in on bill allowing permits for fieldworkers
Highlights
AB 20 would allow undocumented fieldworkers to apply for work permits
Supporters say bill could help alleviate labor shortage
In Merced, about 43 percent of undocumented population works in agriculture, study says
- Juan Carlos Manuel of Merced empties a container of freshly picked peaches at Weimer Farms in Atwater on Thursday. Assembly Bill 20 would allow undocumented agricultural workers to acquire a work permit in California. Photo by Andrew Kuhn, Merced Sun Star
BY ANA B. IBARRA
Legislation that would allow farmworkers who live in the country illegally to access work permits is being considered by California leaders – an idea that some Merced County farmers see as a possible solution to labor shortages.
Last week, Assembly Bill 20 made it out of the California Senate Agriculture Committee with unanimous bipartisan support.
The bill would establish a pilot work permit program for undocumented agricultural workers living in California, upon being granted permission from the federal government.
Instead of granting a temporary work visa to foreign laborers as existing programs do, AB 20 would establish a program for fieldworkers who already reside in the state without authorization.
According to Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, author of the bill, granting laborers permission to work in fields would help alleviate farmers’ workforce issues.
“California’s farmers are in the midst of their summer harvest season, and they are continuing to struggle with an ongoing labor shortage and a devastating drought,” Alejo said in a news release.“We cannot simply hope for things to get better,” he continued.
“If California wants change in immigration policy, we as state officials must stand up and lead.”
The bill is headed to the Senate Appropriations Committee for a hearing in August.Without getting wrapped up in the politics of it, the proposal, Merced-area farmers said, makes sense for their business.
Farmer Marc Marchini of J. Marchini Farms in Le Grand said that, depending on the season, it can be very difficult to find good labor.“We do a lot of hand harvest … so we need a lot of people,” Marchini said.
To pick figs, for example, he needs anywhere between 250 to 300 crop workers. But by the time figs are ready to picked, farmworkers may be employed elsewhere for the season.
THERE IS SUCH A NEED FOR SKILLED, LEGAL LABOR … ESPECIALLY IF THE U.S. HAS SUCH A HUNGER FOR FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. – Marc Marchini, Le Grand farmer.
Picking crops, the Le Grand farmer said, is not a glorified job, and many U.S.-born citizens are not willing to work in the fields. It is extremely difficult work and requires time to develop the skill, he explained.
“We have to pull from the labor pools of those willing to work,” he said.
Atwater farmer Bob Weimer said he can see benefits to AB 20, but is not sure the bill would widen the pool of fieldworkers by much.
Realistically speaking, Weimer said, many undocumented immigrants already work in the fields. Many go unaccounted for because they work under the table. But such proposed legislation would make it easier for California to keep track of the number of farmworkers available and needed, the farmers said.
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates about half of the agricultural workforce in the U.S. is comprised of undocumented workers.In Merced, about 43 percent of the county’s undocumented population works in agriculture, according to data released earlier this year by the University of Southern California’s Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration.
PICKING FRUITS IS A CHALLENGING JOB; IT TAKES PEOPLE THAT HAVE CERTAIN SKILLS AND ENDURANCE TO DO. … NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO DO IT. – Bob Weimer, Atwater farmer
Weimer explained that during busy times like peach harvest, he needs additional crews to add to his year-round workforce. He relies on licensed farm labor contractors to find workers, and trusts that these contractors supply people who are legally authorized to work.But there is always risk.
AB 20, he said, could it make it easier for employers to ensure the legal status of their workers. Weimer believes the bill is also a better option than the current temporary visa program for foreign agricultural workers known as H-2A.
“It’s not a real popular process,” Weimer said, describing the H-2A program as “convoluted.”
AB 20 would also benefit a fieldworker’s family. According to the bill’s text, it would allow the worker’s spouse and children who are in school to remain in the state without threat of deportation.
To be eligible, workers would need to be 18 years old and meet other work qualifications. People who have been convicted of a felony or at least three misdemeanors would not be eligible to apply for an AB 20 work permit.
Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres, who is part of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said the bill is another example of how California leads the way in pushing for federal immigration reform.
“Under our current system, our agriculture industry is losing millions annually because of labor shortages,” Cannella said in a statement to the Merced Sun-Star. “By convening a working group to find a way to safely provide permits to undocumented workers, we will help alleviate the problem and bring these workers out of the shadows.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.