The document discusses the history and current state of migrant farm workers in the United States. It begins with the Bracero Program from 1942-1964 that allowed over 4 million Mexican guest workers due to agricultural labor shortages. Today, almost three-fourths of US farm workers are immigrants that the food system depends on. The system that employs migrant workers is maintained through coercion, violence, and deceit. Various stakeholders, including politicians, the public, corporations, and farmers, view the issue differently and perpetuate the system.

1. Migrant Workers: A Systems Study
Winston Tate and Julie Fahnestock

2. The Scope
Mexican, migrant
farm workers

3. The Background
From 1942 to 1964, the Bracero Program
allowed for over 4 million guest workers to
come in from rural, poor areas in Mexico
because of agricultural worker shortage in the
United States.(National Center for Farm Worker Health)

4. The Background cont.•
•August 4, 1942 – the Mexican Farm Labor Program
Agreement is signed by the governments of Mexico and the
United States, the first establishing the legalization and
control of Mexican migrant workers along America‘s southern
border area
•April 29, 1943 – the Mexican Labor Agreement is sanctioned
by Congress through Public Law 45
•The agreement guaranteed a minimum wage of 30 cents per
hour and ―humane treatment‖ for workers

5. Almost three-fourths of all U.S.
hired farm workers are
immigrants. The U.S. food
system—particularly fruit and
vegetable production—depends
on immigrants more than any
other sector of the U.S. economy

6. Transcending Paradigms cont.
• From analysts:―Some of the work immigrants do in
the United States—particularly agricultural—is
never again going to be done by citizen workers.
Barring an event of apocalyptic scale, U.S. citizens
are not going to return to work in the fields in large
numbers.‖
• ―Everyone benefits: Of all the inequity and corruption
that occurs within this system, it can be argued that the
system still functions because each sector receives some
benefit: immigrants find work, farmers can employ cheap
labor, and Americans enjoy a small grocery bill.‖

7. transcending paradigms cont.
• From the public: ―We don‘t need
immigrants to work in the fields. If they
weren‘t here, we‘d have more jobs.‖
• ―At least they are paid something. It‘s not
slavery unless they work for free.‖
• ―Food should be cheap. I shouldn‘t pay
more than $1.50 per pound for tomatoes.
If tomato costs go up, I won‘t buy them.
I‘ll wait until the prices drop back down.‖

8. transcending paradigms cont.
• ―If they can‘t make it here, they should
go back to their homes. They aren‘t
supposed to be here anyway.‖
• From corporations:We aren‘t
responsible for the wages of migrant
workers. They aren‘t our employees.
Paying migrant workers is a union
dispute and we don‘t want to get
involved in union problems.

9. transcending paradigms cont.
From Farmers:
• ―Mexican migratory worker in America is
regarded as a necessary part of the
bustling harvest season.‖
• ―I‘ll change my labor force to machines.
Within twenty years the industry will be
completely mechanized and I won‘t need
to deal with immigration issues.‖
• ―Border control has told me to be
suspicious of ‗illegal aliens.‖

10. Goals
The ultimate goal of immigration policy is clearly
to maximize some conception of welfare, well-
being, or wealth of various individuals firms.
• Employers seek skilled workers.
• Normative is about well-being of Americans.
• Keep Americans in college and out of the fields.
Educated parents want their children in the
office, not the field.

11. Goals
A. Maximization of American
welfare/well-being

12. B. Economic well-being of businesses
• Immigration used to fill the gap of agricultural workers
not found in United States.
• Migrant workers will expand the labor supply within a
particular economic sector. Wages will drop –
employers/shareholders/consumers benefit from lower
labor costs.
• Migrants workers will consume goods and services,
increasing demand, thus helping American workers.
• Migrant workers pay taxes which help finance public
goods in the United States.
• Cheap labor for companies which keep food prices low.

13. Self-Organization
• The system is maintained by coercion, violence,
bribes, and deceit.
• Immigration operations are structured with disjoined
parts with firewalls at all levels.
• Arrangers/Investors cannot be connected to any
level of the operation.
• Recruiters and transporters paid on a case-by-case
basis, work only with an intermediary.
• Informers gather information on border surveillance,
law enforcement, and immigration procedures.

14. Self-Organization cont.
• Guides and crew members assist in transportation
and accompany the migrants throughout their
journey.
• Enforcers maintain order during the journey by
means of threats and violence.
• Debt collectors collect fees from migrants, often by
means of violence or extortion.
• Money launderers cover up the trail of cash,
reinvested in additional criminal activities or
dispersed through a series of hard-to-trace
transactions.

16. Rules•
•Politicians advance the interests of voters, and
foreigners do not vote. The normative basis of
immigration law is thus maximization of the
well-being of Americans.
•Unlike traditional/industrial organizations they
do not have competition or external regulatory
bodies.
•The rules maintain a behavior and environment
of exploitation.

17. Rules cont.
•Designed to prevent victims from leaving.
•Supporting personnel have no specific
attachment to migrate worker organization.
•Farm workers are exempt from the Fair Labor
Standards Act. No protection in terms of
minimum wage, overtime, etc.

18. Information Flows:
There firewalls at all levels - physical structure is about
limited access to source of power.
• Informers gather information on border surveillance, law
enforcement, and immigration procedures.
• Mexican farmers hear rumors of economic growth in the
US. Believe these rumors are worth following. Lack of
information about the truth of the working conditions.
• Farmers believe that the working conditions are worth the
cost. Do not hear about the exploitation.
• Historically and today, contracts are written in English.
Farm workers sign their names to documents and terms
they may not understand or have only partial
understanding.

20. Reinforcing Feedback Loops
The more migrant workers, the cheaper the labor
costs.
The cheaper the labor costs, the cheaper the food
prices.
The cheaper the food prices, the more people buy
food.
The more people buy people, the greater the need for
more food.
The greater the need for food, the greater the need
for cheap labor and jobs.
The greater number of jobs available, the greater the
number of migrant workers coming to the US.
The more migrant workers, the cheaper the labor

21. Reinforcing Feedback Loops
• Informal social/political agreements between
business and governments hinder law
enforcement and immigration officials.
• Corrupt public officials provide cooperation with
illegal procurement of migrant workers.
• General public aware of migrant worker issues -
apathetic to reality of their plight.
• Accepted views are that migrants are drain on
our social infrastructure:
1. Disrupt communities and social cohesion.
2. Undermine traditional identities
3. Promote unrestrained cultural change.

22. Reinforcing Feedback Loops
Business and public officials aware of financial benefits
beyond lower production costs (much is contrary to
accepted propaganda).
1. Migrants are less likely to receive state benefits or
tax credits.
2. Pay proportionately more indirect taxes (i.e. sales
taxes).
3. Much lower use of public benefits and services (i.e
food stamp programs).
Migrant worker is detached or alienated from domestic

23. Delays

24. Delays
Pay: Farm workers often don't receive
paychecks for week. When they do there is little
to send home.
Making money: Trafficked workers may work to
pay off debt for their trip, lodging, and food for
decades, often never paying it back.

25. Delays cont.
Sending money home: The money the farm
worker planned to send home may take
months to reach his family.
Fair Food Act: Companies who sign this
agreement often don't begin paying higher
wages for months because of beaucracy.

27. Stocks and Flows
Stock: Migrant farm worker. Constantly adding
and loosing farm workers. Flow: seasonal
agricultural work
Farm worker migrates to the US fields. Works
seasonally in fields. Migrates from state to
state, some return home, some find permanent
work, some become too ill to continue
working. Farm workers continually enter and
leave the system.