Speech #990081477

Washington State is the Nations leading supplier of cherries and apples. and is the Nations second largest supplier of pears. prunes. plums. grapes. and apricots. 20 percent of Washington States entire apple crop is exported to foreign countries. adding to our national trade effort and creating a substantial number of additional jobs. Growers of these perishable crops in the State of Washington and throughout the Nation have traditionally relied heavily on foreign labor. We must face the reality that a large percentage of these workers are in the United States illegally and there is no guarantee that enough domestic workers will step forward to fill these jobs once illegal immigration is under control. Unlike the larger wheat farms which use mechanical harvesters. the perishable crop industry. which is largely comprised of small family farms. is labor intensive and a large number of workers i. required to harvest the crops. Frui and vegetable harvesting is physically demanding. unplfasant work. and even at reasonably high wages. the industry has not attracted sufficient numbers of domestic workers. If the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1985 is to establish a realistic and workable immigration policy. it must not force farmers to choose between hiring illegal workers and losing their crops. The choice should be between hiring domestic workers if available and. if not. hiring legal foreign workers in a program that meets the needs of the perishable grower and provides protections for both foreign and domestic workers. The H2 Worker Program included in S. 1200 is simply not usable for the thousands of farmers involved in many kinds of perishable agricultural production.