Speech #890034273

But while we have exhibited such concern over the years for the welfare of the farmer. I am afraid that for the most part we have sadly neglected another vital aspect of the problemand that is the welfare of the farmworker. And I refer especially to the migrant farmworker. By allowing Public Law 78 to terminate. this body has indicated its awareness of some of the deficiencies among our American migrant farmworkers. but it has neglected to follow through with positive programs to improve the lot of what amounts to a sizable segment of our national work force. In years past the plight of the migrant farm laborer would be briefly uncovered by a documentary television program such as "Harvest of Shame." or by occasional newspaper or magazine articles. The national conscience would be briefly pricked at the realization that the average migrant farmworker earns less than $900 a year. that he has almost none of the protections guaranteed other workers. that he is specifically excluded from minimum wage and overtime regulations. that he has no Federal protection of the right to organize and bargain collectively. Our national conscience would be pricked at these and other shameful facts. but little would be done about it. Today. however. for the first time in many years. we are at the crossroads in our migrant farm labor problems. The expiration of Public Law 78 and termination of the use of offshore labor has resulted in wide attention being focused on the domestic farmworker. His capabilities. his willingness. his dependability. and above all. his plight. is being discussed. debated. and written about throughout the country. as well as here in the Halls of Congress. But it is primarily here in the Halls of Congress that the problem can be greatly alleviated. There are bills pending before both Houses at the present time aimed at bettering the migrants lot--bills on daycare. child labor. sanitation. and so forth. We have finally passed a law dealing with crew leader registration. But this is not enough.