Ag Labor Management with a Latino Workforce
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Ag Labor Management With a Latino Workforce Migration, Cultural Considerations, Labor Management & Community Resources Naomi Wolcott-MacCausland, Project Coordinator: Farming Across Cultures Farming Across Cultures Communication Project Project Coordinator: Naomi Wolcott-MacCausland Principle Investigator: Erin Shea UVM Extension 278 South Main Street St. Albans, VT 05478 Copyright 2011 by University of Vermont Extension UVM Extension helps individuals and communities put research-based knowledge to work. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status. Materials included in this binder have been reproduced with permission of the original authors listed on each individual document. Acknowledgements This handbook was produced by the Farming Across Cultures Communication Project Coordinator. Farming Across Cultures Communication Project is a 2 year grant funded project focused on communication and training on dairy farms with a Latino workforce. This is the 1st edition of the handbook that accompanies a workshop titled Ag Labor Management with a Latino Workforce. Feedback and comments about these materials are welcome and can be made by contacting Naomi Wolcott-MacCausland by email at [email protected] or by phone (802) 524-6501 ext. 447 Printing of this handbook was made possible through a collaboration with Ben and Jerry’s Caring Dairy program. The Caring Dairy program, formerly known as the Dairy Stewardship Alliance, is an all-encompassing, voluntary program that assesses various aspects of the dairy farm operation and provides recommendations based on individual assessment results. Table of Contents: Page Number Introduction Migration The Sending Communities of VT Migrant Workers ………………………………. 1-2 Illegal Immigration from Mexico…………………………………………………… 3-4 Coyotes, Jobs, Family, and Cheap Corn …………………………………………. 5-6 Nine men Found in Sonoran Desert after Attempted Border Crossing …………. 7-10 Migrants Risk Everything in Arizona Desert Crossing…………………………… 11-12 Invisible Odysseys: Art by Mexican Farmworkers in VT………………………….. 13-14 Poem by “Gomex” A Vermont Farmworker……………………………………….. 15-16 The Golden Cage “La Jaula de Oro” by Los Tigres del Norte……………………… 17 Cultural Considerations Cultural Interpretations……………………………………………………………… 19-22 Cultural Differences and Diverse Environments …………………………………. 23-26 Ag Labor Management Labor Management ………………………………………………………………… 28-35 Recommended Basic Hiring Practices……………………………………………... 36 Bottom-of-the-barrel employees: Who is to blame?............................................ 37-38 The job description activity ………………………………………………………… 39 Outline of job description………………………………………………………….. 40 Sample job description in English…………………………………………………... 41 Sample job description in Spanish ………………………………………………… 42 Blank job description in English……………………………………………………. 43 Blank job description in Spanish…………………………………………………… 44 The Value and Common Sense of Job Descriptions……………………………….. 45-46 Survey Results: Training, Information Transfer, Safety, Health, and Housing 47-48 on Vermont Dairy Farms with Spanish Speaking Employees New Employee Orientation ………………………………………………………… 49 The First 30 Days – Orienting New Employees…………………………………… 50-52 New Employee Information Checklist and Guide in English……………………. 53-54 New Employee Information Checklist and Guide in Spanish…………………… 55-56 Safety Orientation and Emergency Plan………………………………………….. 57 Dairy Farm Safety Checklist – English & Spanish……………………………….. 58 Employee Safety Training Documentation ……………………………………… 59-60 OSHA Fact Sheets in English and Spanish………………………………………… 61-62 Safety Risk Areas at the Dairy Farm………………………………………………. 63-69 Sample Dairy Safety Instructions for Employees in English……………………. 70-73 Sample Dairy Safety Instructions for Employees in Spanish……………………… 74-77 Emergency Information Card……………………………………………………… 78 Communication Plan……………………………………………………………….. 79 Job Safety and Health in English and Spanish……………………………………. 80-81 Bilingual Label and Sign Examples………………………………………………… 82 Developing Effective Standard Operating Procedures…………………………… 83-88 Basic SOP Example ………………………………………………………………… 89 Hierarchical Procedure SOP Sample……………………………………………….. 90 Flowchart SOP Sample………………………………………………………………. 91 Calving Record Sample Form……………………………………………………… 92 Heat Detection Sample Form………………………………………………………. 93 Milk Quality Record Sample Form ……………………………………………….. 94 General Health Record Sample Form…………………………………………….. 95 Excerpt from Hiring and Managing Spanish Speaking Employees……………… 96 Practical Concepts for Employee Training and Dairy Performance…………….. 97-99 Training Dairy Farm Workers……………………………………………………… 100-101 Oversight of Employee Housing…………………………………………………… 102 House Sanitation and Upkeep Informational Handout English ………………… 103-111 House Sanitation and Upkeep Informational Handout Spanish ………………… 112-120 Bilingual House Maintenance Products List………………………………………. 121 Bilingual House Inspection Checklist………………………………………………. 122-125 Extra Commitments when Hiring a No/Low Level English Speaker …………… 126 with No Transportation Bilingual Food List…………………………………………………………………… 127-129 Legal Compliance Issues…………………………………………………………….. 130 Community Resources…………………………………………………………………. 131-133 Latino Ag Labor Management Evaluation…………………………………………..... 134-138 The Sending Communities of Vermont Migrant Workers 1) Community Settings (Rural? Urban? Desert? Mountain? Town layout?) Many workers come from rural, hilly or mountainous towns. They are often an hour or more away from the nearest city. Communities may be comprised of as few as 30 families or as many as 300 households. Even in the smaller towns, the houses tend to be close together. Often, land has been subdivided overtime so that family members can build a house next to their parents. There is usually a central area (park, soccer field, and/or church) where people congregate. Some workers, however, come from regions that have ocean access. These areas tend to be hotter, flatter, and drier. 2) Livelihoods (How do folks make their money) The rural mountainous communities grow corn, beans, coffee and other crops for sale and for personal consumption. Most families, even if they do not sell produce, cultivate a small section of land to grow food for their own use. Such a large percentage of workers from certain communities have left that many families solely rely on remittances (money sent from the U.S.) for their day to day purchase. Men are the primary wage earners in each family. Women in rural areas increasingly have a role (though often small) in household income either through migration to the United States or small stores within the family home. Migration from rural communities to cities within Mexico is common for men. Workers that are from communities within a state with ocean access may migrate within the county or state for work as a fisherman or in oil exploration rigs. Many workers report their male family members work as day laborers on the fields of large land owners though the availability of work is seasonal and crop dependent. The minimum daily wage is less than $5. 3) The home (What are houses like, made of, who lives where, how do they cook?) Traditionally, houses were made of adobe. Overtime, wood and tin appeared more frequently in house construction. Floors might be of dirt or poured cement. Houses built by money sent from the U.S. tend to be made of cinderblocks, with a plaster layer to smooth out the walls and more often have brightly tiled flooring. Generations often live together especially if a family member is in the United States. It is common for a grandmother to live with one or more of her children, a daughter in law, and a few grandchildren. Bedrooms are often shared by 2 or more people. Table top burners are much more frequent than ovens though many families still use traditional open wood fires to cook at least some of their food daily. Women, especially in the rural areas, are expected to cook, clean, and wash clothes. 4) Water Access (Where and how do people access water) Some communities have water systems in place. These communities draw water from a central source through pipes that travel through the main parts of town. Each family is responsible for paying for a connection and bringing water from their “spigot” to their house. This is often done by attaching a plastic PVC pipe and bringing water to a pila (deep cement sink) near the house. It is rare the house in rural México that has water access from within the house. Other communities or outlying houses stick PVC in a stream or spring and use gravity to bring water to house. Pumps are not common and therefore running water in the house is very uncommon. Bathing is often done outside behind a sheet or shower curtain to one side of the Pila. Most bathrooms in these rural areas are latrines which do not require water. 5) Education (What are schools like, education system, average education level) Schools in rural Mexico and Central America have few resources to provide beyond desks and chairs. Text books tend to be very well used and often need to be shared by pupils. Libraries in the rural areas are not common. Schools are often open