As a child living in North Texas, I would often listen to the historical tales about my parents as early farm-workers and laborers. During her childhood my mother worked on a farm in Vernon, Texas with her parents and siblings. I would listen closely as my mother described the harsh conditions of picking cotton in the hot days of summer. My mother and grandmother often described how difficult it was to work long hours with bloody fingers and torn pants that exposed their legs to the prickly stems of the cotton buds. My mother would explain to me and my siblings, "They were long, hot, and dry days as we slowly hand-picked the cotton from the buds, and separated the seeds from the cotton. Our fingers would bleed even though we wore gloves, and our backs would sheer with pain as we kept working. The money was low, but we needed food and clothes for the winter." 

My father also used to describe the working conditions at the Dallas Sanitation Department. He would often endure the fumes of harsh chemicals and pesticides that would be disposed of within area landfills. In my opinion, it was the constant exposures to these hazardous conditions that led to his illness and death at the early age of fifty. There were few medical benefits back then to help farm- or sanitation workers when they developed debilitating conditions or illness.

Conditions improving
Today conditions are more favorable as Governor Perry implements new laws and state funds to aid farm-workers during this dry weather. According to this website,  "On December 27, Perry declared a statewide disaster due to the threat of wildfires caused by extremely dry weather conditions. On Jan. 11, President Bush approved Perry's request for a statewide Presidential Disaster Declaration, making Texans whose homes and property were destroyed or damaged by wildfires eligible to receive individual assistance, and local jurisdictions that have been fighting the costly fires will be eligible for public assistance." Contact the Department of Agriculture: (512) 463-7476 or nationwide toll-free phone (800) TELL-TDA (800-835-5832), or visit http://www.agr.state.tx.us/index.htm.

Because other groups tend to demand or request higher working wages, more medical benefits, and better working environments, migrant workers make-up the majority of the cheap labor within the State of Texas. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, "the minimum wage for farm workers in Texas is set at $3.35 an hour. Farm workers employed by small growers in many parts of Texas get paid nearly $2 below the federal guarantee of $5.15 per hour when they work on piece rate (so many cents per unit)."

High numbers of injury and disability
The US Department of Agriculture also states that, "unemployment and poverty in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas is among the highest in the country. While the national unemployment rate is around 4% and it is low in Texas overall, it ranges between 14% and 16% in the largely agricultural and Mexican-American south Texas counties, according to state figures. When workers who don't file for unemployment benefits are considered, joblessness in south Texas jumps to between 25% and 30%."  According to stories by the Dallas Morning News and WFAA Channel 8 News in Dallas, (please see resources for more information) "Migrant farm-workers and laborers suffer the highest number of injury and debilitating diseases than any other type of employment." 

Texas, in part due its border with Mexico, has one of the highest death rates across America. For example, recently an 18-wheeler truck was caught carrying illegal immigrants across Dallas in hot conditions with no water and little food. Many of the migrants became seriously ill and some did not make it to their destination.

Migrant workers and immigrant labor at special risk
During a time of serious drought conditions and a need for extra assistance from laborers for rebuilding our neighboring cities, it should be necessary to welcome migrant workers in our country. Many contractors in the region do welcome migrant workers because of their cheap labor costs, but these employers rarely provide adequate working conditions. For example, news reports indicate that the majority of the laborers that are rebuilding New Orleans are legal and undocumented migrant workers. These migrant workers are often unpaid, underpaid, working without insurance benefits, laboring in unsafe environments, and living in deplorable and unsanitary group camps.

The positive sides of these special work opportunities created by disasters or emergencies are that many of these migrant workers do receive higher than usual wages, while maintaining steady employment, without the usual concerns about deportation enforcement. It is unclear whether New Orleans or Texas will allow undocumented workers to fulfill their desired residency status in these locations, but in my opinion, it important that we acknowledge their contribution to the labor market and the rebuilding process.

It is also necessary to recognize migrant farm-workers for their contribution in the farming industry because they perform jobs with much less cost than the average worker. Many farm-workers may not be aware of the hazardous conditions that may cause early diseases and or disabilities. With repeated exposure to pesticides, extreme weather conditions, and/or unsafe working environments, it is plausible that migrant farm-workers will experience an illness or disability at an early age.

Exposures to unsafe working conditions can have profound negative effects to the central nervous system and the immune system. For example, some pesticides are known for producing some forms of cancers, liver diseases, and/or tumors in the body. It is also known that prolonged exposure to heat without adequate water intake or cooling of the body can also produce heat exhaustion, dehydration, strokes, brain damage, myocardial infarctions (heart attack), and sudden deaths. Additionally, unsafe work environment can also produce muscle fatigue, strains, cuts and bruises, infections in the skin, broken bones, skeletal deformities, and other complications. Farm employers and labor contractors should take extra precautions to insure the safety of migrant laborers and farm workers regardless of residency status. The nature of good safety rules and regulation could prolong human life and improve the stability of our country.

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