Speech #890177509

Again. the employers appear to have anticipated that a supplementary supply of braceros would remedy this deficiency of the Ateams. The contracts for bracero labor could be written to assure that this type of labor would remain available until the harvest was completed. No such assurance could be had from domestic migrants. because a large percentage of them leave the State to pick other crops or to place their children in school before the pickle harvest is finished. To the extent that there was a specific basis for the spreading belief among employers In the latter part of June that they were to get no braceros. it appears to be a press release that was issued on June 15 by the Department of Labor. The heading on the release read as follows: "California and Michigan Growers Meet Farm Labor Needs With Domestic Workers." Most of the release dealt with California matters. but the concluding paragraph quoted a representative of the National Pickle Growers Association to the effect that it would probably be able to satisfy its members labor needs with domestic workers. (The association representative later said that the release misquoted him.) This press release was widely publicized in picklegrowing areas of Michigan. It appears to have been interpreted as a statement made by the Department of Labor that no foreign labor would be allowed in Michigan. despite the fact that a growers association rather than the Secretary of Labor was given as the source of the statement concerning the adequacy of the supply of domestic workers. When they became convinced that no braceros would be available. many employers apparently decided that taking their chances on further recruitment of domestic adult migrants would involve less risk than continued reliance on Ateams as a major source of harvest labor. The second development in the latter half of June which apparently made Ateam even less acceptable to employers was. as already noted. the extension of the geographical area of recruitment. Up to midJune. virtually all of the Ateams referred to Michigan employers had come from Michigan or adjacent States. of those referred after midJune. a substantial number came from places as distant as Kansas.