The Secretary of Labor has ample authority. under Public Law 78. for the protection of domestic farm labor against misuse. or abuse. of imported foreign labor. 3. The minority report of dissenting committee members is misleading in so many respects that all its statements should be carefully scrutinized: (a) An average annual wage of $761 per farmworker includes women and children who constitute almost onehalf of the seasonal farm labor. and most of whom work locally for only a few weeks. (b) Harvest work is predominantly piece rate work. If a worker makes only 30 to 35 cents an hour that is a return for the amount of labor they have performed. (c) The four distinguished consultants. whos recommendations were made a part of H.R. 11211. are undoubtedly men of wide experience. but is extremely doubtful that any one of them has ever had personal experience in meeting a farm payroll. financing orchard production against an unknown market or harvesting crops with domestic migrant labor. (d) The statement on page 7 paragraph 3. Implies that there is no shortage of domestic labor in Oregon and Washington because these States pay the highest farm wages in the Nation. yet the Oregon State Employment Service has had to certify the Medford district for the use of Mexican nationals since the program started. with the exception of a crop failure in 1954. High wages alone do not make more competent workers available. (e) It states that foreign labor was never used in the United States prior to 1942. The Department of Labor "Farm Labor Fact Book" states that: "Foreign workers have been employed in this country for more than 50 years." Most of these were Mexican wetbacks who crossed the river both spring and fall to work in the border States. (f) The 300.000 migrant farm work force Is undoubtedly a social problem and one that requires attention. but the committee minority imply that such solution of the migrant is the duty.of the farmer. They refuse to concede that the great majority of these people belong to the professionally unemployed who either cannot or will not qualify for industrial employment. Others are merely indifferent workers on their own premises or just plain rovers.
Identified stereotypes
Generalization about professionally unemployed migrants who cannot or will not qualify for industrial employment, or are indifferent workers or plain rovers.