Economics   Click on your Choice: download this chapter in a PDF file view web pages: Guiding Principle - Challenge Current Condition Priority Actions   Other Actions Benefits Key to Acronyms

Providing Adequate Infrastructure

Priority Actions:

Transportation Systems | Labor | Environmental Restoration / Regional Water Management

Labor

Conclusion: Need to find ways to ensure an ongoing, stable supply of trained and trainable labor for the agricultural industry. Also need practical, workable programs to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all workers in the agriculture industry.

Suggested Actions: There are several key labor issues, each of which need to be addressed. These include:

Supply: Producers have competing needs – the need for a reliable supply of trained or trainable labor on one hand, and a need to keep labor costs low, since producers are price takers, not price makers, and cannot pass on to consumers any of their costs of doing business, such as labor costs. 

Labor costs, in fact, are the key obstacle to American producers in staying competitive with foreign growers, who often have a much cheaper labor supply. By U.S. standards, farm work is hazardous, requires long hours, is seasonal and often offers low pay with few or no benefits (even though many farm workers may make more than the minimum wage, missed days of work due to bad weather and the seasonal nature of farm work results in a low annual income, often at or below the poverty line). For this reason, farm work does not appeal to most domestic workers, but instead, attracts foreign workers (both documented and undocumented) who may only work in this country for a few months a year; may live an itinerant lifestyle, moving from farm to farm, following the cycle of plantings and harvests; or may settle in an area, with some members of the family working in service jobs (as maids, dishwashers, janitors, or fast-food vendors) while other members of the family work on ranches and farms, or in processing and packing plants. 

This situation is not likely to change, given the current economics of agriculture and the competitive nature of the global economy. In fact, it may get worse. Simply because of labor costs, it is no longer economical for some major crops to be grown in Florida or any other part of the U.S. There are only four ways in which this situation can be addressed: 

Increase the use of mechanization and technology to reduce labor costs; 
Increase the amount of the retail food dollar that is received by producers (see Priority Action 1 under Section 1, Producer Profitability); 
    Create a labor pool where worker training, housing, schooling and benefits (health, disability and pensions) are subsidized through Farm Bill programs or voluntary donations at supermarket checkout counters (see Priority Action 4-D in Section 1) and can be handled on behalf of farm owners and operators by private labor contractors and farm worker organizations; and 
    Develop a list of actions that can be implemented, within the context of current laws and consistent with international trade agreements, to ensure that American producers can operate on a "level playing field" (see Priority Action 2 in Section 1). Possible actions include:

a) Ensure the American public receives products that meet all U.S. labor laws, 
b) Require that all produce brought into U.S. meet the same requirements as those imposed on American growers, 
c) Ban products that do not meet these requirements, 
d) Develop a stamp, certificate or ‘green label' for products that meet all U.S. laws, and
e) Ensure that future trade agreements include provisions to standardize labor laws and worker rights.

All four approaches should be explored and a strategic labor plan should be developed to ensure both that U.S producers can remain economically competitive with foreign growers and worker needs are met.

Worker health, safety and welfare: Labor forums should be held to bring together owners and operators and labor interests to discuss labor issues, and encourage owners and operators to make labor and labor interests a partner. Labor has a vested interest in the economical viability of U.S. farms and ranches and its food and fiber processing industries. Without profitable enterprises, there will be no jobs. Labor, however, must recognize that many jobs may be lost through increased use of mechanization and technology. The remaining jobs, however, are likely to require more technical skills and, thus, will be higher paying and provide better benefits.

Emphasis in these discussions should focus first on what can be done to improve worker conditions that does not cost any money. Worker health, safety and welfare must be a priority. But again, economics will be a key issue. Action plans must recommend ways to provide for worker health and safety, while keeping U.S. producers competitive and working to raise standards in other countries (see A-4 above).

Worker rights: Again, labor forums between owners and operators and labor interests can be used as a basis for developing action plans to recommend ways of ensuring worker rights while keeping U.S. producers competitive and working to raise standards in other countries (again, see A-4 above).

Housing: Local zoning laws, land use regulations and construction codes must be modified to allow for economical, practical solutions to provide farm worker housing. 

Labor forums also can be used to discuss issues and develop action plans to address housing, as well as --

Transportation

Schooling and

Immigration.

Recommendations:

Who: South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force (SFERTF), Florida Department of Labor (DOL), Florida Department of Health & Rehabilitative Services (HRS), Florida Department of Education (DOE), DOACS, USDA, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and other appropriate agencies.
What: Need regional, statewide and federal actions. SFERTF should encourage DOL to work together with HRS, DOE, DOACS, USDA, the INS and other appropriate agencies to take aggressive action to ensure:

an ongoing, stable supply of trained and trainable labor for the agricultural industry, and 
practical, workable programs to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all workers in the agricultural industry. 

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