Fingers to the Bone: Child Farmworkers in the United States

[@francinemcfarts4783]

I love how American's complain that immigrants are taking jobs away. Not a single American would do this kind of work for such little pay.

[@theghostofyoutube8178]

+Samuel Henke Wow, did you trip over that reach? Child labor laws benefit capitalism the most. Keeping children from working is economically better.

[@DjGuanacOfficial1-L.A]

right. i doubt ANYONE (American or not) would sign up to be abused and exploited. would you !?!??! just because they have a job anyone else wont do, doesnt mean they are being treated FAIRLY

[@carlosnoriega6878]

Francine McFarts The majority of Americans could /would not work 10-12 hrs EVERY DAY for little bit of money..far less ti put your 12 yr old child to work in 90 + degree weather... I drove doubles out if Stockton hauling tomatoes to the Caneries and even though in latino and grew ulp in SF I never had an idea of how hard life was for my people snd for there children Its BS that they take jobs away from Americans. ! THEY DONT WANT THAT KINDA BACK BREAKING CHEAP PAYING JOBS. AND FOR THEIR KIDS LESS. OH but we do want cheap fresh produce and fruits ..you figure ,its going to get hectic for the next four yrs..LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE ! !

[@chowmarina008]

Francine McFarts if the laws are such that it allows for child labour ok so be it that's the way the law is but the individual companies hiring children to do this back breaking work should have more of a sense of Social justice and morality to refrain from hiring ppl under working age which I think is 16 in the US? am I right? I can't say anything about the farming families because I don't know their situation but the farmers and food companies need to start adopting a sense of Social and human justice. This practice in my opinion is immoral and wrong. I wonder how they will handle it if one of these child workers grow up and is diagnosed with an incurable disease directly related to crop dusting and slave work and they can prove it and this former child worker files a lawsuit and wins? What goes around comes around that's all I have to say about the employers they will get theirs one god doesn't sleep

[@chowmarina008]

Francine McFarts my point is pay the parents their regular salaries plus what the kids would get paid so that the kids could have a childhood and stay in school.

[@mommeeple3297]

Kids doing chores or working their family's farm in the summer is fine, BUT kids working as migrant laborers on commercial farms that needs to be regulated.

[@namjinarmy4life482]

I mean i am part of a family like this and i have worked since i was 8 and it hurts seeing our President talk so bad about us all we want is peace and freedom

[@sparra3819]

Unfortunately that president is not a good human. I pray he is not elected next term. Bless your family for what they do. I hope for positive change for you all.

[@aggressivepipeearth6743]

namjin Army 4 life President Trump only talks bad about actual rapists, drug dealers, etc., (and honestly, who doesn't?) he is a good man. Don't believe all that negativity the left wing media puts out. I speak as a legal Mexican immigrant.

[@opolloqo6121]

@@sparra3819 It looks like your prayers were answered!

[@opolloqo6121]

​@@aggressivepipeearth6743 You sir, a legal Mexican immigrant, do not speak for me, a third generation Mexican American. Trump talks bad about people with brown skin, regardless of whether they've raped or dealt drugs.

[@Oxygenationatom]

@@sparra3819 lucky trump is gone

[@pnordal]

Anyone who thinks poverty is a choice lives in a reality of their own imagination.

[@user-wn7jc8bt9g]

Yeah just hearing that.... Like why don't they just move? Oh yea bud, we'll just load up the non-existent truck like the Beverly hillbillys If you're born poor you're very likely to die poor Unless there's a bubbling crude on your land if you have any land. Then you can be like The Beverly hillbillies lol But generally it's a multi-generational effort through the familys years of work To be able to afford college even then you're not guaranteed a job that you want that you went to college for now you're in debt. And you don't have a golden parachute They're not having a shortage on CEOs lol They want people to break their backs So they can afford a new yacht. Got to use that government bailout money somehow What's the best way to use 10 million dollars Give it to the CEOs of course

[@allengina1091]

No choice, no opportunity.

[@benjaminjohansen3679]

its true tho being poor is a choice get yo money up not yo funny up the strugle is part of the hustle

[@johnlee6528]

@@benjaminjohansen3679you should go back to school and learn what English is.

[@dangroom8695]

To stay there for your whole life is a choice. To be there for the next generation and generation after generation is a choice in America. The only way it would nor be a choice is if government prevented mobility at the consequence of prison, excessive fees, fines, or the point of the gun. So in corrupt countries, poverty is not a choice, yes. In America, long term poverty or generational poverty is a choice.

[@raulahuatl]

consumers around the world should be grateful to all these people working on farms....... we can eat thanks to them.

[@Lucobogarts]

@@laflame0472 He‘s so right so shut up!

[@rs72098]

I agree, but we should still fix the problem. These people are BEING EXPLOITED for profit. If they were given citizenship, they would be paid a fair wage. The corporation would take a profit loss, food prices would remain the same.

[@LB-uo7xy]

Amen and, yep, true but they're still not going to be.

[@GlenPaholke-ht8hg]

You would eat anyway maybe the corporate farms profits wouldn't be as large you know Mr and Mrs corporate farm each need a Cadillac to drive how else would they get to the field to see how hard the poor migrant worker is working!

[@jjcs1381]

All I can say is that I have the greatest respect for these farmworkers. This is very hard work and when people judge them badly, they are just looking for an excuse to point their high and mighty finger. My family owns a farm and these people is what keeps our country feed at a reasonable cost. I feel for these children, they should be in school but I understand their family needs as well. peace

[@mothersslave8199]

Yes but the kids should not have to support the family.

[@SergioHernandez-dg2un]

I love my Hispanic people never give up.

[@hectorcardenas2171]

Sergio Hernandez MEXICAN people work hard. Fuck other "hispancs". They are MEXICAN PROUD.

[@saraicoco1269]

@@hectorcardenas2171 Your right, I've only heard of my mom and my dad being those Poor Working hard kids in hunger , And some some Hispanics Sitting , and live in glory . And now I feel bad ...

[@hectorcardenas2171]

@Dustin Heath Fucktard, you know you're incorrect.

[@nikolaos6083]

Oh, they give up. Those are the ones who never try to get work. Usually alcohol gets them.

[@divyaprakash5189]

@@hectorcardenas2171 their parents should be in jail for putting their children in these conditions their parents shouldnt come with their children to USA

[@HouseKatArmy]

The problem is so much more complex than most people think...one thing that concerns me about this is that if they prevent the children from working but don't raise wages for the adults then many families will suffer because of the loss of income. If the wages paid the adults were sufficient then perhaps these kids would not be in the fields working and would be in school instead. Everyone who works 60 hour weeks at hard labor should be able to live decently.

[@vatolocosforever803]

This brings back memories of my childhood

[@karmela772]

Same here!

[@mikee6571]

To be honest. There is nothing wrong with teenager's working. There should be rules and regulations. During school day's. They can work part-time. In the summertime. They can work full-time. You can't let teenager's work full-time during school. They need their education. Let them work at summer youth. It should be balance. Adults don't want to work because of the minimum wage. The minimum wage in these states is $7.50 an hour. Bring up the minimum wage for the adults. Instead of hiring undocumented teenager's. Both democratics and republicans need to fix this child labor law. Nobody isn't winning.

[@ShadowImage7]

when Hispanic kids do more work than your average 20-30 year old American

[@patriciademekpe404]

All illegal immigrants aren't farm workers. Many are on welfare with anchor babies and in the inner cities.

[@patriciademekpe404]

Zedonk Califas well, you know Europe didn't send their best, but this system was designed for them to benefit from. This country was built on nonwhite slave labor that were indigenous POW's and/or African slaves that didn't volunteer to come here.

[@pablop9495]

@@patriciademekpe404 still waaaaaaaaaaaaay far less than Americans on walfare white or black

[@patriciademekpe404]

EL Crazy Calf EL becerro loco I'd look like a fool going to a foreign country illegally expecting the same benefits as the citizens. You can't even put so called blacks with the whites all the time because many of our ancestors are the real original people on this land, not slaves from Africa, who were robbed of our land, heritage and about every 20 years relabeled. This government knows who many so called blacks are but unlike the Mongolian Turkic Tartars, we are not all on reservations receiving money. I could go on, but I'll stop, unless.....

[@pablop9495]

@@patriciademekpe404 I am addressing what you said about ILLEGAL immigrants on walfare, I can see food stamps coming in for their American children, or an emergency aid... If an immigrant of the fields can't file for out of season unemployment, then definitely not walfare, they can get retirement... not from social security, but from a retirement plan that certain companies give (but don't wanna help you get, because they're bitches that discriminate but still would beg for immigrants) where you put ex: $50 an week & they do 50% & you can realease that when you leave the company... & when it comes down to black & white people I am basing it off of facts in the books... & its not hidden in the books, we can also see it everyday in our cities... In reference to black people being dragged here, if that would have never been done... There was still gonna be black people here because as we all know, this is a country of immigrats from all over the world... But somehow we show hate & discrimination to are brown skin brothers deporting them and destroying familes, meanwhile there can be a Chinese ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT walking right by the scene! & wont be asked a question... We are discriminating the author's that make atleast 1/3 of our currency circulate, as we know everything comes from mother nature... Who the fuck is gonna pay $25 an hour to push fucking pencils without a natural recourse money flow behind it... Go to an agricultural town and take out all immigrants then its gonna be a ghost town.

[@brinabrina8487]

i worked picking chile as a child...guess what it taught me to be a hard worker and not afraid to get down and dirty when it comes labor....kids now wanna die to take out the trash or clean the house

[@mikee6571]

To be honest. There is nothing wrong with teenager's working. There should be rules and regulations. During school day's. They can work part-time. In the summertime. They can work full-time. You can't let teenager's work full-time during school. They need their education. Let them work at summer youth. It should be balance. Adults don't want to work because of the minimum wage. The minimum wage in these states is $7.50 an hour. Bring up the minimum wage for the adults. Instead of hiring undocumented teenager's. Both democratics and republicans need to fix this child labor law. Nobody isn't winning.

[@kuein]

Wow. This is not how they should be working. You have to wear jeans and shoes and something to cover their head also they should be wearing long sleeve shirts.

[@bienbruja]

Yes! They shouldn't be working in those fields in the first places but life circumstances are shit. Their parents should be forcing them to wear at least one long sleeved shirt, long pants, proper shoes, a hat, and an extra cloth to cover up both their face and neck. I work in agriculture over the summer too and can't imagine working 9+ hours under the hot sun in a short sleeve with no shoes. They could develop skin cancer or other horrible skin conditions.

[@renesilva241]

childhood work was good for me. I was making bricks in my country at 6, Makin earing at 8, working at at parking lot with my dad at 11, packing groceries at 14, came to the US, at 16, bought my first home at 20 paid off at 22. I'm 37 now and I have a few properties paid for. always working always saving and investing. as long as you work part time and not in dangerous jobs, childhood work I think is very smart idea, it make you independent and teaches you the value of a hard earned money.

[@AmberAmber]

+renesilva241 I agree that children should do chores at home and not be raised as entitled, I worked when I was a kid too - *BUT* I wasn't an indentured servant. I got to make money, to save it, to go home and sleep and know that I'd get dinner, etc... These children are indentured servants and aren't making a living wage, let alone a wage at all. Their parents are impoverished migrant workers & their children get roped into it only cos the parents have no one to care for them when they're out working the fields themselves. Due to the Migrant part in Migrant Worker, the children often miss out on a LOT of their education cos they have a hard time catching up due to switching schools so frequently. They also miss a lot of school during times where the farms are short-handed and there's a time contraint due to weather. They barely get to play or make friends. It makes me sob because when my Mum came over as a pretty young kid, she worked the fields for a few years. She described it as a neverending hell.

[@RavenRyy]

+renesilva241 The kids and adults aren't getting a fair living wage, have no rights, miss out on education to better themselves and suffer life destroying injuries and even death. Likewise, American farmers are know to quietly call immigration right after the work is done, but before the wages are paid. There is NOTHING ennobling about about poverty nor slavery.

[@chowmarina008]

renesilva241 You speak from the experience you had in a different society where it might be the norm but in America a super power country and where everyone is SUPPOSED to have a piece of the American dream it's totally unacceptable work ethic yes value of hard work ok but these principles can be taught through other methods like working hard to get good grades or saving allowance to buy that new toy. On the other hand, I know alot of Chinese families who own shops and their kids help out for a couple hours after school and a bit on the weekends but then their parents demand excellent grades also so balance is key.

[@ceilingfanmusic6597]

renesilva241 (in the us there is no child hood work exsept farm work. and that is distructiv to the kids ed and sosial skills. along with phisicle and poison. now i do understand that alot of farm famlys are por and need the muny the kids provide but it comes with a cost that there education is limitid. these days you need a education to get a desint paying jobe but 6h30m of school +6-8h of farm work. brakes people. you cant do 14h of day stuf. eat.bave. do home. and sleep. not efectivly. what tends to hapin is the kid dose not get enoth sleep so he/she has truble focusing in school. has to do farm work. other hous things. stays up late doing home work. then it repeats. a kid can only do this so long be for he/she starts falling apart. and when thay do. the drop out and be come another day laborer who lives check to check caus thay cant get a beater job caus thay had to drop out. i see all the time people posteing about how thay worked as a kid and it was fine. but that was then THIS IS NOW you NEED a education to get good jobs these days. and soon the farm labor will be gon. replaced with robots. and when that hapins these famly will go homless. that will be a sad sad day

[@sparra3819]

It's 2019, and from I'm reading there are still no laws in the US to protect against child labour in agriculture.

[@yeahman3yeah503]

L + ratio + no jobs? + children at work = w

[@mudskipperong-pe6og]

ikr children making lithium batteries WWWWWW

[@dayspassbyrawr9659]

These farm family deserve more. They feed all of America and more. Congressmen should get way less...

[@GcGhostPetro]

i worked on a farm like these kids. expect the farm was in mexico and it was an orphanage. there were cows, pigs, goats, chickens, huge corn field, vegetable field mainly for carrots. we had to water the fields with buckets because there was no irrigation so it took hours. i still have some calluses on my left hand. and you know what. I love it. it was the most beautiful farm with the nicest people. i would do anything to go and visit again

[@MRcubcadet107]

i love my job farmin and im 14 instead of "hangin out" with friends doing stupid shit im learnin ,workin ,and gettin paid whats so bad about that? goverment needs to kep their nose out of stuff

[@refugioreyes4643]

children belong in the classroom, not picking vegetable in the fields. If they don't go to school, they will never leave this cycle. They will just marry or have kids early and their kids will also work in the fields instead of going to school and the cycle will never end. This is a form of slavery. It's a trap. Get those kids to the classroom so they have a future.

[@thefakeyeti]

How about both? Now, the food they do pick probably should be for personal use and not multi-million, if not billion dollar industries that don't give a shit about htem..

[@miramarbeach1116]

At least they got paid.

[@IQ-XMEN]

Churches should own farmlands to help congregation people but instead the use the money for real estate where no harvest can feed their people.

[@ryancritchlow7131]

At least it's not a steel mill or a coal mine.

[@selinaozuna9079]

speaking for my mother's whole family, field laborer work is not a job they wish to relive. my mother and her siblings worked along side their parents, and that life leaves you feeling hopeless. No this is not a job for children. The pesticides alone, pose significant health risks, even for adults. I think the whole system needs to be re invented. But child labor like this is not okay.

[@pramja51]

I started working in Michigan at age 4 (1969) when we would migrate there from Texas. I used to bitch about doing this type of work every year I did it until the age of 15, but now I realize that it was one hell of an opportunity for the family to work for a common goal and to bond. You make the best of it and try to improve yourself, so that you don't have to do this all your life. To tell you the truth, I miss it, especially the time before the government tried to regulate the farmers up north. I know they were trying to improve the working conditions, but you know what they say about good intentions. I actually took my wife and one of my kids up to Michigan a couple of years ago to visit the old working quarters and fields. They could not understand that type of life, but to me it was like visiting my home away from home. I believe that if every American family would experience one summer working in the fields, they would develop a sense of appreciation of the simple things in life like family, teamwork, community, character, etc.

[@RobertoLopez-123]

prmja 51 thank you, well said

[@mikee6571]

At four, who are your parents🤔? Anywho... To be honest. There is nothing wrong with teenager's working. There should be rules and regulations. During school day's. They can work part-time. In the summertime. They can work full-time. You can't let teenager's work full-time during school. They need their education. Let them work at summer youth. It should be balance. Adults don't want to work because of the minimum wage. The minimum wage in these states is $7.50 an hour. Bring up the minimum wage for the adults. Instead of hiring undocumented teenager's. Both democratics and republicans need to fix this child labor law. Nobody isn't winning.

[@SullenAngel]

Anyone know why the CARE act keeps getting referred to the subcommittee on Workforce Protections? Why hasn't this been passed yet? Props to Rep. Roybal-Allard for bringing it back every year but damn, this goes back to at least 2009 and it still hasn't passed?!

[@bobbyscoggins5076]

My Mom And Dad Had 14 Kids I Start Working At 7 Years Old Every Day We Work Hard We Never Ask For Help We Were very Tired At The End Of The Day And i Think It Made Me A Better Person My Parents Didn't Have A Choice That Was The Only Kind Of Work He New And We Are White People In The Fields In The 60 Were White They Work In The Fields Also Didn't Have A Choice Thank You God Bless You.

[@pininapez2845]

nice book excerpt...

[@bobbyclay4006]

American if the up the pay the American will work thay are not going work for low pay

[@bobbyclay4006]

working slave wags I would love them to

[@ramonarodriguez149]

I worked 19 years as a farm worker all over the US. I don't see anything wrong with kids working in the field. It was the best time of my life. I have two degrees now, but I really miss working in the fields.

[@SepherStar]

Not all migrant workers are illegal immigrants. At least 25% are American citizens born to American citizens. They usually come from places like Texas and Arizona border towns.

[@That1GGirl]

During summer school a lot of the high schoolers of Mexican parents work in the fields

[@Ronnicus]

I'm tempted to agree with this but then I think about it and who is making these kids work? Their parents... because they need the money to survive and live a better life. If you pass this law all it does it stop these kids from working and maybe the family suffers as a whole. There are better ways to go about this.

[@Madison-kk9nd]

I had a similar thought process after watching this video. Clearly these families are putting these children to work because they are struggling to make ends meet. So who do we punish? The corporations or the families? In this situation, both. A better solution would be to put restrictions on the number of hours and length of time a child can work on these farms. Possibly some safety restrictions as well. Then again, even those types of mandates may prevent farms from hiring these children. Definitely a double-edged sword.

[@Madison-kk9nd]

You should probably educate yourself on religious beliefs; certain beliefs prevent the use of contraceptives such as condoms. Moreover, what is your definition of "too poor?" For many people in today's world making ends meet is tough regardless of whether or not they have kids and how many.

[@Navillus.55]

***** Talk to the Priests in the Catholic Church about the use of birth control. It is considered to be a major sin for which they would spend eternity burning in Hell. You try changing the beliefs of the Catholic Church and the problem can be resolved. I wish you the best of luck in your mission....

[@RavenRyy]

+Ronnicus A liveable minimum wage, and labour laws that protect their rights would sort things. Likewise heavy fines and jail time for the scum who abuse those laws.

[@Tinag6451]

Ronnicus Don't fucking have kids if you can't take care of them!

[@nicolasgonzalez5277]

This is unacceptable kids should not be working . they need to be in school.

[@Kirby1969]

yeah, kids need lots of friends. Just like the dozen or more kids in my high school class that died because they went to parties with their friends, drank alcohol with their friends and crashed their cars with their friends. But I was stuck on the farm learn the value of hard work and now have a good job with a family and lots of friends.

[@PsyChoAnaLize]

Another great doc on YT is “The Harvest of Shame”

[@ShermaneKDor]

They should pay them 7.5 not more than this

[@kool2btrue]

Are you familiar with slavery? Yeah that was it. Then Chinese/ Philippines/ Hispanic immigrants, now just Hispanics. The exception was that during the depression about 100 years ago when people rushed to California desperate for jobs, but that did not last. Realistically it has always been not you.

[@JohnAckerman31]

I always say, this is like the civil war times where you had slavery. Our country can't get its mind going and look forward instead of looking back and setting bad examples that make us Americans look bad

[@mikecarroll9110]

i used to pick potatoes as a young child. We would get a few dollars for each barrel we filled it was very hard work, but it taught me the value of a dollar young.

[@jonson11122]

@Mike10four That means that parents can use their children for whatever they want? So children can be abused by their parents? Children also have their human rights and parents should KNOW that. Especially in the USA. So rich country should not afford child labour. Human rights in the USA should be important.

[@raycity1234]

Hard work is good for kids

[@Navillus.55]

jerry ray Ahhh, but is lack of education good for kids? You can't have it both ways....

[@RavenRyy]

+jerry ray They getting a fair wage? Decent education? How are their living conditions?

[@raycity1234]

+RavenRyy That is a parents job.

[@RavenRyy]

And attitudes like that is why there is gross inequality and poverty in the world.

[@kuein]

Navillus 55 They chose to do that. You could have school and wait till the summer to start working then stop until the beginning of school. Well that's what I do.

[@jeanninederoma2364]

You're making comments without understanding the dynamic of a pour family. Number 1 is food and shelter. These kids are doing what is needed to be doing. I speak from experience i gladly helped the family. No birth control in my day. So if the difference is going back to no job countries, no education at all and the chance to go partially on a full stomach. Keep your suggestion to yourself ylu don't know the struggle.

[@ihonestlydontcare1158]

I’m Irish and I started working on my uncles dairy farm at 12 years old. Whenever I was off school…I was on the farm. The most common job was milking cows which is highly dangerous but specifically because of my head height when I started was in the worst place. If a cow kicked it would land smack on my face. Thankfully I was only kicked in the face maybe 3 or 4 times because I dodged a lot of them. I’m 17 now and still working on the dairy farm but at least now my younger cousins have followed in the path of all my other cousins and now I can kinda teach them while I do a lot more of the technically and driving work like sorting cattle and cutting silage. While they can do the odd manual labour like cleaning, feeding calves, shovelling etc. I’m still doing a shit tonne of manual labour but at least now I can do the more fun jobs.

[@sentotalkacili7407]

salute to you. It is very cool. i am from developing country. many successful people in my country most of them have been working since childhood. working at an early age does not cause trauma, instead it makes children understand responsibility, know about financial management, learn about discipline and working hard, be aware of rewards and punishments for what they do. What traumatizes children and destroys children's mentality are bad parenting, drugs, free-sex, and pornography. Schools also don't always guarantee success because there are bullying problems there.

[@ihonestlydontcare1158]

@@sentotalkacili7407 I agree with you 100%. Whenever someone asks about my child slavery past I always tell them that’s it’s not what it seems. I have probably more money then all of my classmates and family, I’m also one step ahead of everyone due to responsibility. And I believe that came from my upbringing

[@rvtech-sn9ef]

I'm sorry lady but here in the USA see it bad when kids work on fields in our countries it's normal by the time are adults most jobs we can do it for fun nothing will feel heave after that I'm 47 years old my coworkers are 25 years younger and none of them can't keep up with me they even say what kind of drugs I'm into I just laughed I say just a good plate of beans and rice those are my drugs that keep me active all day long also I understand here it's different coz cost of leaving it's expensive when I was a kid in Mexico we went to school full time after school we will go help and summer vacation was all work but not all day we still have time to play sports with our friends

[@rippspeck]

All I see is a generation-spanning vicious cycle. Who in their right mind allows their kids to drop out of school at age 14 to work the farm? What happened to _but at least you can pay attention in school in hopes of trying to get outta this mess_?

[@HollieMoodie]

But.......... the parents need their beer and meth money.

[@divyaprakash5189]

@@HollieMoodie simple answer plz dont offend earn money and go to Mexico it is much better schools are cheap and due to high wages in America u can start new life

[@allthelittleworms]

@@HollieMoodie that's not what it's about at all and that's a really ignorant comment. these people have no choice but to do this because they live in crushing poverty.

[@dragnixcatc]

I agree i too grew up on a farm and worked on it everyday. It builds character and teaches life lessons. If I hadn't worked and lived on a farm I wouldn't have chosen the career I did which is ag education

[@mikee6571]

To be honest. There is nothing wrong with teenager's working. There should be rules and regulations. During school day's. They can work part-time. In the summertime. They can work full-time. You can't let teenager's work full-time during school. They need their education. Let them work at summer youth. It should be balance. Adults don't want to work because of the minimum wage. The minimum wage in these states is $7.50 an hour. Bring up the minimum wage for the adults. Instead of hiring undocumented teenager's. Both democratics and republicans need to fix this child labor law. Nobody isn't winning.

[@luisotero295]

The Care Bill never left committee in 2009. No other bill has been proposed since. Democrat nor Republican. But it's ok to take care of the corporations that own these fields, not the people working them.

[@melindago6576]

Our family picked pickles in Ohio in the 80’s during the summer months but our parents always made sure to get back to Texas at least a week before school started . Working in the fields taught us to be hard workers, team players and to do good in school so that we did not have to continue doing this type of work . The majority of us graduated from a University and have great careers . Not all migrant farm worker families are poverty stricken, some like ours fell in between low income but not middle class lol but on the plus side , we got to live in different states while we worked , see different places and make new friends . Also, not all migrant farm workers are “ illegal aliens “ as much as the media likes to say . Our entire family are US citizens who were summer migrant farm workers in the 80’s. I know this is an old video , but no idea why these kids are not wearing proper attire and are working barefoot or in sandals and some with no gloves on . I Hope they were able to go on to further their studies .

[@LB-uo7xy]

You're really complaining about shoes and gloves? Yes, massa, we gotta keep massa's vegetables clean for the better off lower middle class consumer, don't we now!'

[@melindago6576]

@@LB-uo7xy You missed the whole point of my comment. Lol Did you even understand the video . Lmao

[@melindago6576]

@@LB-uo7xy Btw I was not complaining, I was just stating that is not safe for them to be working without their shoes on . Read that again , it is not safe for Them . Never said I was worried about keeping the veggies clean . Lol

[@mikee6571]

To be honest. There is nothing wrong with teenager's working. There should be rules and regulations. During school day's. They can work part-time. In the summertime. They can work full-time. You can't let teenager's work full-time during school. They need their education. Let them work at summer youth. It should be balance. Adults don't want to work because of the minimum wage. The minimum wage in these states is $7.50 an hour. Bring up the minimum wage for the adults. Instead of hiring undocumented teenager's. Both democratics and republicans need to fix this child labor law. Nobody isn't winning.

[@mikee6571]

To be honest. There is nothing wrong with teenager's working. There should be rules and regulations. During school day's. They can work part-time. In the summertime. They can work full-time. You can't let teenager's work full-time during school. They need their education. It should be balance. Adults don't want to work because of the minimum wage. The minimum wage in these states is $7.50 an hour. Bring up the minimum wage for the adults. Instead of hiring undocumented teenager's. Both democratics and republicans need to fix this child labor law. Nobody isn't winning.

[@Smartkid2387]

The book America We Need to Talk brought me here. I had no idea about this. It is actually shameful the US government allows this to happen. Those poor kids

[@jonson11122]

@Mike10four I agree with what you wrote. We're debating the same thing with different words and perspectives. So, we must stop creating misery. That's why we want Human Rights to be evident. But since (you said) man is part of the nature so we can say that misery is also natural. That derivation of logic can be dangerous. Denying Human Rights (or as you say Laws of Natures) is not a solution. We should not deny Human Right of our fellow ones. We should help them.

[@normanschlongdongovic4124]

I owned three companies hiring 50% hispanic immigrants..Yes of course the hours is long but I plan my schedule fairly..Those who work 13hours a day will work 3 days and 2 days off..Those who work 9-10 hours will work 5 days and 2 days off..I pay OT 1.5x and provide them a home and cars too

[@jonson11122]

@Mike10four You just said it before ... " Whatever man does, and since man is part of Nature, it is natural." So our Human Rights are natural and they're OK. There is no problem with our Human Rights. We have problem with their IMPLEMENTATION.

[@NiaPgn]

That gaping whole is deliberate. The government knows exactly what it’s doing.

[@Galv140577]

Why should they be indoctrinated in "school", the farm is their school, they're farmers, learning farming & not obedience to the system.

[@MrSoldierperson]

This is disgusting. Shame on our American Government.

[@juanluishuertavivar1113]

This kids are strong as fu({. Future líders of America the native people the color brown or how European said red skins.

[@RobertAllenroballen2]

What doesn't kill you, is wearing you down slowly...

[@artemisbond9923]

Kids working the fields is not unique to the USA. I have friends who grew up on a kibbutz in Israel. The children all worked in the fields. They went to school too, of course, but they spent a lot of time harvesting. I have a neighbor who grew up in the Soviet Union in the 1970s/80s who worked on a collective farm as a kid with all of his schoolmates. Hot, hard work and long days. They also went to school in addition to doing their field work. The problem in the US comes when kids start missing school because they are constantly moving around the country. Good hard honest work in the fields is good for kids on 2 conditions: 1) they are paid a good, generous living wage; 2) their education is not disrupted. These conditions are currently not being met and therein lies the problem.

[@travissmith3256]

Some people don't know what it like this is terrible work this should not be allowed in the us or anywhere they are also lacking education I'm 11 and I know this I terrible

[@valentinciprianaldea1994]

Do those Hispanics and immigrants have better conditions in their Hispanic country's?! I worked like that from 12-17years.

[@V.v.x.q]

my school making me watch this 😃 😥😥😥

[@saltovan]

@Ryokenai - I beleive the people who were there 3000 years ago were the Palestinian. Most Israelis are descended from Europeans!

[@davidespinoza8067]

This very very very funny in the mid 60 i was working in the fields. I was not even in elementary. With my parents. All the way ubtill i was in middle school. 7th grade. Where was the Media then. Even after HIGH SCHOOL. And i live in Texas. 30 miles of the Mexican Border. But that was life back then. We had to work if we wanted money to spend. Got my first job in 11 grade work ever since! So why all this crying! The best thing to do is start. GIVE ME MONEY FUND FOR THIS CHILDREN!! WHAT DO YOU THINK. I THINK IM GOING TO 😢 CRY!!!!

[@alomalaker2333]

How much money they make for month

[@Melanie-qh2iq]

When a child labors in a field for hours and is rewarded junk food, few probably get wholesome meals Some how society has to make solutions for families in need. Sex is a fact of life. How is manage is another. May seem cold but should let extremely impoverished people have counseling for birth control, free. Someday jobs might become robotic and the need for big farm families may not exist. Agriculture should start training for modern changes, greenhouses, hydro phonics , even city vertical farming. America stop exploiting our food sources, these are innocent children harvesting our food. God loves them all .

[@urmotherlin6891]

all of us Mexican kids can feel this

[@Dad4change]

People in america say slavery was wrong and good we abolished it. No you didnt. You just ignore the modern form of it

[@benjamincarvajal1888]

I live in Arizona and I never seen kids work in that environment or any any kids at all California

[@yousfulidiots]

I grew up on a farm and am way better off for it. Some of the stuff I did growing up could have been filmed and viewed in a horrible light and it would have looked like I was being mistreated. But guess what, now that I am an adult, I realize how much better off I am for it. We live in a time where a large portion of the population would rather take a handout than work and earn something for themselves. That is not a commentary on any post here, but on people I some who do.

[@MRcubcadet107]

please tell me when the last time goverment interference worked?

[@profoak1]

let's talk about some negative impacts on this very issue. child labor can cause kids to miss education (something this video mentioned). also, child labor can make kids not make friends, therefore causing a bad social life. Eat that, child labor supporters!

[@kevinkennedy8598]

I used too do this type of work when I was young I’m An Irish/American not all farm laborers are from South America FYI it was on a smaller farm but still hard work even by adult standards. Bent over all day usually in mud no shade 14hrs some days and ancient equipment. I took the job by choice though the farmer was an awesome guy he would bend over backwards for you. Gave me free ice cream let me run tractors occasionally. It over all was a very good experience and I think all young people should do this kind of work even for a short time they could learn a lot about work ethic that most people my age don’t have.

[@mikee6571]

To be honest. There is nothing wrong with teenager's working. There should be rules and regulations. During school day's. They can work part-time. In the summertime. They can work full-time. You can't let teenager's work full-time during school. They need their education. Let them work at summer youth. It should be balance. Adults don't want to work because of the minimum wage. The minimum wage in these states is $7.50 an hour. Bring up the minimum wage for the adults. Instead of hiring undocumented teenager's. Both democratics and republicans need to fix this child labor law. Nobody isn't winning.

[@THEYUMACHRIS]

@Memphis Applegate. Great comment.

[@venerasweeney8780]

In Soviet Russia we work on the fields and factores free.Schoolchildren from 12 to 18 1month picked potatoes,as student of University I like many of thousand 18-25 years olds again worked without paying.But honest we had free education,and oppotunity to earn same money on the summer holidays.

[@sentotalkacili7407]

i am from developing country. many successful people in my country most of them have been working since childhood. working at an early age does not cause trauma, instead it makes children understand responsibility, know about financial management, be aware of rewards and punishments for what they do. What traumatizes children and destroys children's mentality are bad parenting, drugs, free-sex, and pornography. Schools also don't always guarantee success because there are bullying problems there. The problems of racism, slavery, colonialism have great merit from the discourse on Human Rights to abolish them. But Human Rights in the future will spoil the mentality of the generation. The issue of human rights that goes too far, which actually still has a positive side, is too much touted.

[@groveroark8101]

They do this in the meat packing plants to

[@MaxF28]

@Ryokenai: HRW is an organization that puts out reports, videos and does awareness campaigns. Essentially, if they're "paying lip service" to something, then they're focused on it. Also, Palestinians are mainly people whose origins are in current Israel, West Bank and Gaza not Jordan. 100,000s of people were displaced in 1948, you can debate the causes, but not that it happened.

[@lizlove6439]

If they are working because they have to, what will happen when they lose that income?

[@estegueydijo....]

Give a fish to a kid you will mitigate his hunger for a day, teach him to fish he'll learn to survive for the rest of his life.

[@yourseatatthetable]

Well, MAGA's found a solution for helping all those child farm workers out. We'll see how it goes.

[@frangrubb7833]

Cruel Harvest the memoir of Frances Elizabeth Grubb who followed the crops like migrant birds

[@4-WHEEL-DRIVE]

I'M SO PROUD OF MY GENTE MY RRAZA , MY CULTURE

[@vatolocosforever803]

@Negasso Kadir cuz Mexico is in America 2.. this is all ours.. we going come over the f*** we want to on this land

[@DachshundPal]

Honestly working like this it is hard and it does suck but that act will not help these kids only hurt them and their families how would they eat? They would not or they would get on welfare they work because they have to either support them or let them be. Why don't I hear these people complaining about increasing their pay that is what would make a significant difference.

[@rickphilipe5392]

I agree about increasing the minimum wage, but I also think people who use child labor belong in prison.

[@DachshundPal]

To each their own child labor has its positives and its negatives.

[@rickphilipe5392]

The biggest negative is that the kids are stuck in an intergenerational cycle and can't get an education sentencing them to do manual labor their entire life. By the way I'm not looking at putting the parents in prison, just the farm owners.

[@burtmantooth8913]

Most of them send all their money out of the country.

[@jonny777bike]

They need to improve the conditions that these migrant work in. We need to do better technology to reduce the amount of pesticides that are used and better way of growing these fruits and vegetables so that it doesn't cause so much damage to the workers. Also we should improve on robotics so that these foods can be picked better.

[@SepherStar]

If these kids were working after school or during breaks, it wouldn't be as big of an issue, but they are missing school to work, and they are working at jobs they won't get anywhere at.

[@juan14271]

I’m just pissed that this is actually a thing. In the United States for 12 years old can work on the farms where’s the child labor department. I’m surprised about it.

[@darienandrade138]

blame the parents

[@sciwater1642]

If Iam kid offered at least quarter of a minimum wage. I will take it. Yes . Speak it

[@SycamoreHill14]

These kids should be in school. At least a homeschooling program, if they are going to work.

[@miguelcastaneda7236]

moms family did this....the 101 freeway as you enter oxnard..apt complex east side used to be open fields..decades ago under there buried are 3 of her siblings .

[@bonoro_yt]

im happy that i had not do this. But im sorry for those who had to and didnt want to

[@rocketscienc]

Hey, it's 2022, seems it did change much. Kids now can work in McDonalds until 11:00 pm.

[@ChristianGonzalez-cn7po]

social services should offer healthy capable people work on feilds

[@BobKinford]

Lets take that remaining two percent of the kids and remove their work ethic so they can just sit on their butts and complain about the dangers of getting carpal thumb syndrome from texting too much. Get a life...

[@deborahmakinde3094]

my teacher is making me watch this- omg

[@vanellopevonschweetz6325]

As you should 🙂

[@jonson11122]

@Mike10four On products of China there is no information how it was made. The companies should monitor this and in case of child labour move their production. But this would not happen, because companies care only for profits. As for "law of nature". "Law of nature" is just another concept of man who want to hold its superior position over other people. I suppose that the same concept ("laws of nature") could be successfully used against abolishing the slavery.

[@MRcubcadet107]

havin a rough time answerin that 1 are you?

[@Mike10four]

@jonson11122 The pursuit of altruistic objectives is a good thing; also, we need virtuous leaders. As for the USA in Haiti, no surprise; the USA is a rogue government no longer following its Constitution. As for your last sentence: “There’s nothing natural in this.” If it happened, it is natural and within the Laws of Nature otherwise, it could not happen. Whatever man does, and since man is part of Nature, it is natural. On the other hand, morality in a civil society is a different issue.

[@curlsnkisses1]

im watching dis fir school anyone else

[@CynthiaDean-ef2fz]

May God Bless this group of migrants, although I am sympathetic, it is my belief that migrants coming here to work on our farms should allow their children to remain in their own country. Theres children should attend school in their own country. Parents should come to work send money home so your family can thrive on your Income. When there is a down season go to your land and spend time with your family. You came here to work not to have babies

[@sweetgirly8492]

Kids ninos please wearing proper protective...shoes, cover sleeves, masks to protect inhaling those toxins pesticides on the crops