| Would you pick lettuce in Yuma for $50/hr for an entire growing season? |
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Asked 3 years ago
by rolling  Canada |
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About
I believe in God, only I spell it Nature. - Frank Lloyd Wright
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7 Points
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According to McCain, you wouldn't:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWOZKeOauNI&eurl=
No question, probably a sucky, mind numbing and backbreaking job, but for $50 an hour who gives a crap. Probably wouldn't spend much during the season for being tired and stuff, hell, you'd have a nice stockpile come winter. Sounds like a great idea!
No. Because anyone who $50/hr for lettuce picking would be bankrupt by the end of the first day. That kind of job is piecework, not hourly--usually per case for lettuce--and it is hard to make even minimum wage at most rates.
Your answer is incoherent. Try again, what are you saying? If they are offering $50/hr to pick lettuce, how do I fail to make minimum wage?
If it works anything like America did back in the 1920s (with the coal mines and the crop pickers), it's simple to understand. They tell you it's $50 an hour. But then they tell you, since you're going to be working for them the entire season, that you have to live in the housing they provide. Your housing costs are $200 a day. You have no option. Then, you'll have to purchase a company uniform ($500) (they'll give you credit at the company store, you can pay for your uniform out of your first check). Of course they'll insist you have your uniform laundered daily - by the company laundry (you won't have time to go to the laundromat in town - you'll be working 12 hours a day 7 days a week) That's $50. If you want them to wash your under ware, that's another $50. Want to eat? Company commissary since you won't have time to drive into town. Breakfast - $25. Lunch - $25. Dinner - $50.
Think I'm kidding? This is what they were doing to coal miners in Matewan, West Virginia up until 1920. That's why they formed unions in this country. Mexico has banned the unionization of the workers in their Constitution. A constitution who's construction committee received quite a bit of advice from the USA, and who's politicians received hefty donations from US corporations like GE, GM, Ford, etc.
Watch the movie Matewan sometime. You'll understand how you can be 'paid' a huge wage and never be able to get ahead in jobs like that.
Ok. That's very interesting and educational. But let's take the question posed at face value: All I have to do is show up and pick lettuce for 8-hrs per day for $50/hr in Yuma during summertime. Or is this a trick question? Surely you don't pick lettuce during growing season, but only at harvest time.
With no catches, $50/hr should attract a lot of interested workers.
Having looked into this a bit, I'm interested in the numbers. How many heads of lettuce can a good picker harvest in an hour? Anybody know?
Okay. Take the question at face value. Find me a job in Mexico that pays $50 an hour for unskilled, non-educated labor and you watch my skilled, educated ass run across the border in the dead of night. I'll set the record for lettuce picking.
I've been trying to find figures for the U.S., but the only fruit/vegetable picking jobs I can find online are in Australia and England. You might try querying the folks at the UFW. They probably know.
http://www.ufw.org/
For $50 per hour you could tell them you could afford to live anywhere you want and be chauffeured to the work site every day. And if they try to rig the deal your Uncle Tony (Soprano) will be paying them a visit. :-)
They lie if they say $50/hr. If they are not lying, they will be bankrupt by the end of the day, so there is no job.
This kind of work is paid by piecework rates, usually per case or flat for lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, etc.
It is very difficult, and completely back=breaking work in the sun with no shade, no toilets except a porta-john. It is very difficult to make even minimum wage, which is then taken from you for rents for company housing (ten to a one-room shack or worse), plus any other "service" they can think of to charge you for to keep from having to pay you.
McCain wouldn't and neither would any of his friends. They would rather hire illegal immigrants at $1 per hour to do it and then pocket the $49. Who's he trying to fool?
I've cleaned toilets for less.
I'll do the job.
This comment was deleted by sillynilly .
[1 point] 3 years ago byWe can only guess, ...lol.