Invisible Workforce

Invisible Workforce

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[At a local charreada (Mexican style rodeo), most of the competitors are farm workers or family of farm workers. These events help build community and keep cultural traditions alive.]
[This man holds a $74.08 paycheck, his net earnings for two full days of work. Too tired to cross the border and return home to Mexicali after a day's work, he sleeps in the railroad yards which double as an end-of-day migrant depot.]
[Lettuce, a crop that is always picked by hand, is grown with some of the greatest amounts of pesticides of any crop. California growers used 151 million pounds of pesticides in 2001, the most recent year for which the state Department of Pesticide Regulations has statistics.]
[Wearing traditional attire for female field workers helps guard against sun damage and prevents the detection of underage workers.]
[Tomato workers are given one token for each pair of buckets they fill, totaling approx. 30 pounds. The token values fluctuate with the market price of the tomatoes. On this day, the tokens were worth $0.95.]
[Onion fieldwork almost always starts before dawn, often times lit by bus headlights. Work usually finishes by 2:00 p.m. due to triple-digit heat.]
[Green tomatoes are harvested entirely by hand. Despite the heat, workers wear several layers of clothing to stay protected from the sun and mud they crawl through.]
[Nearly 20 million trays of strawberries are produced annually in the Santa Maria Valley. Strawberry pickers make approx. $1.00 per flat of 8 boxes during peak season.]
[The grave of an unclaimed migrant worker. This dirt lot is the final resting place for many who die crossing the U.S.-Mexico border as well as for migrants who die in America and whose families can't afford to have their remains sent home.]

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Invisible Workforce


Traveling in darkness and working in California's blinding sun, a quiet army of migrant farm workers picks over half of the nation's daily consumption of produce. Employed in jobs American's shun, this underclass plays a vital role in keeping California's $27 billion agriculture industry afloat. Despite their importance, farm workers consistently rank among the most impoverished and poorly housed members of our society.