US Farm Labor

Hired farm workers do two-thirds of US farm work. The hired labor system that developed in the western US in the nineteenth century has spread across the US, as the large farms that hire most farm workers expect seasonal crews to be available when needed and to fend for themselves in the off season. The major source of seasonal US farm workers is rural Mexico. Most Mexicans arrive as unauthorized workers and move to nonfarm US jobs after gaining experience in the US. Unions such as the United Farm Workers tried and failed to turn seasonal farm work from a decade-long job into a lifelong career. Farm-labor costs have been rising since the 2008–9 recession slowed unauthorized Mexico–US migration, prompting the 4-S adjustments: satisfy current workers to reduce turnover; stretch current workers with mechanical aids that increase their productivity; substitute machines for workers where possible and switch to less labor-intensive crops; and supplement current workforces with H-2A guest workers.

Identities, Quandaries, and Emotions

The issue of transborder mobility posed a dilemma for U.S. labor organizations and for border communities that embraced workers, customers, and family connections from Mexico. Labor leaders including Ernesto Galarza of the National Farm Labor Union (NFLU) and César Chávez of the United Farm Workers (UFW) had to find ways of protecting U.S. citizen workers and yet humanely addressing the plight of resident aliens, permitted commuters, and undocumented workers from Mexico. Their strategies involved knowledge production and had to accommodate emotions. The article focuses on the Imperial-Mexicali borderlands, 1950s–1970s.