Good Taste: The fruits of illegal labor practices are rotten to the core

There’s nothing more exciting than the start of spring in Los Angeles. The sunny streets and bright blue skies make it easy to forget one of the city’s stormiest winters this year. Like most Angelenos, I’m ecstatic to be able to walk to class without my boots and umbrella, but I already miss the produce of the season. To me, Californian winters are all about the oranges. These three months offer oranges that strike the perfect balance between sweet and sour.  

As I think back to those wonderful oranges, it’s easy to forget how those fruits arrive in my local supermarket. Though harvesting practices vary, farm workers are a key component of the harvesting process. Without them, there are no perfect winter oranges.

In 2012, an investigation of the orange groves in Southern Italy reported that many migrant workers were only paid 25 euros for one day’s work — before gangmasters took deductions for transport and lunch. Workers were living in horrible conditions. Some were in camps with no running water or electricity while others were sleeping in abandoned farmhouses or outside. Without employment contracts, laborers had no way to demand better conditions.

This isn’t a story unique to Italy, oranges or the 21st century. The agriculture industry has a history of labor exploitation, often taking advantage of migrant workers who have few resources to fight back again unethical labor practices.

According to Operation Blooming Onion, a multi-agency federal investigation, more than 100 people from Mexico and Central America were smuggled into Georgia, forced to work on onion farms — receiving only 20 cents per bucket in compensation.

The indicted farmers made more than $200 million through this scheme. Not only were laborers overworked and undercompensated, they were also forced to spend their limited income to pay for food, transportation and cramped housing that often lacked plumbing and access to safe water. On the job, workers who stepped out of line were threatened with guns, torture and deportation. Because of the egregious conditions, at least two people died and several others were raped, kidnapped, sold to other farms or faced death threats against themselves and their families. 

Immigrant workers, such as those in Georgia’s onion farms, make up for 73% of America’s agricultural labor force and just under 50% of these laborers are undocumented. Though our economy and food security rely on their work, undocumented workers have no nationwide labor protections, leaving them more likely to face employer exploitation without any form of recourse.

We accept the abuse of undocumented immigrants and write off the plight of undocumented workers as if immigrating without paperwork is deserving of brutal labor practices that amount to cruel and unusual punishment.

H-2A visas are intended to curb the number of undocumented farm workers, allowing immigrants to legally work short-term with protection and legal aid if their employers are not following labor laws. However, in 2019, less than 4% of the agricultural workers were given visas. Given how limited the program is, the promised protection is nothing more than superficial.

While farm worker abuse is a widespread phenomenon, it’s particularly acute in California where the largest agricultural-output value in the country resides. Though recent state legislation extends labor laws to undocumented immigrants, workers risk deportation to fight for the rights they were promised.

The average Californian can separate themselves from farm workers enough to feel unaccountable for this abuse. By othering these communities, we eliminate any motivation to fight alongside laborers for fair agriculture practices — enjoying our oranges while workers face conditions akin to modern slavery.

Like most social issues, this problem is far too large to solve in 700 words for the University newspaper. It will require immigration policies that recognize the importance of migrant workers and legislation that recognizes a universal right to labor protection regardless of one’s citizenship status. Though the necessary changes are big, there are ways for each of us to start small. From amplifying the voices of agriculture activists to purchasing produce from ethical farms, we make choices every day that can bring us a step closer to an equitable society.

Reena Somani is a graduate student writing about food and its social implications. Her column, “Good Taste,” runs every other Wednesday.