The Department of Agriculture. in addition to its estimates that over 212 million persons performed farmwork last year for wages. reports that its estimates of over 250.000 migrant farmworkers does not include a count of all family members. totaling over 1 million. that would stand directly to gain by the provisions of this bill. Additionally. the Department of Agriculture reports that in 1969 there were about 1 million seasonal farmworkersdefined as those working at least 25 days but less than 149 dayswho averaged only about 59 days of farmwork a year. and about 80 days of nonfarmwork. Among these seasonal workers are over 250.000 migrant workersnot counting over 1 million family members and dependents--who worked 129 days. 78 at farmwork at which they earned $891 a year. and 50 days at nonfarmwork. The tragedy of these figures is not only the low wages earned for actual .work performed. but that at best these workers were unemployed for about 50 percent of the time. and many suffered even higher unemployment. Congressional hearings. especially by the Migratory Labor Subcommittee. have shown that. while the American economic system has worked reasonably well for everyone except the poor. it has abysmally failed the migrant farmworker. In fact. the migrant is practically excluded from the mainstream of our economic system. He is only a limited participant in manpower programs today. and his power to participate in. affect. or improve present manpower development and training programs is severely restricted. Migrants have little or no income. their ability to earn is impaired. and their stream of earnings is sporadic and uncertain. More important. however. they lack or are denied the ability to control their income. Unemployment is high. and subemployment and underemployment are pervasive.
Keywords matched
Migrants migrant