The Pros And Cons Of Higher Wages Of Farm Workers

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Higher Wages In the most recent survey from the National Agricultural worker's surveys, the United States department of labor states that, on average, farm workers make $7.25 an hour. That amount is ridiculously low for the caliber of work that farm workers do on a day to day basis. Farm workers deserve higher wages for all of their hard work. Not only do farm workers work extremely hard, but they do so in terrible work conditions. Farm workers work in all types of weather, rain or shine they are outside performing their duties as farm workers. In the summer, temperatures will reach over 110 degrees, workers face the risks of heat exhaustion and heat strokes. There have been many reported farm worker deaths due to poor weather conditions. According to the National farm worker ministry, there are laws in California that promise farm workers water, breaks when needed, and training on how to deal with a heat stroke. Several recent farm worker deaths here in California, are proof that these laws are not being enforced in the work place. This …show more content…

In 2009 alone, there were 916 cases that were related to pesticide exposure poisoning. 252 out of those 916 cases were farm workers. Farm workers are facing pesticide poisoning each year. This calculation does not include the farm workers that have been victims to chronic health issues such as cancer, infertility, and neurological disorders, like Parkinson’s disease, as a consequence of these toxic exposures. All of these problems because occur due to negligence, pesticides are being sprayed meanwhile farm workers are working directly in the fields. This is a risk that farmworkers put themselves in and it can cost them their lives or cause complications later in life. They take the risk because they are in need of a job, and the least they deserve is higher