October 1997, Volume 3, Number 4
Rural America
Poverty Amid Prosperity
"Poverty Amid Prosperity: Immigration and the Changing Face of
Rural California," is a six-chapter book that summarizes the papers
presented at
Welfare Reform in Rural America
On September 5, 1997, county welfare directors
sponsored a meeting on welfare reform and agriculture in Bakersfield,
California. The motivation for
Immigrants and Rural America
According to University of Michigan researchers, the new "rural
renaissance" appears to be largely a domestic migration phenomenon.
Between 1990
Farm Worker Housing
The dispute in the state of Washington over
farm worker housing standards for very short season crops such as
cherries continues. A 1997 effort to
Farm Workers
UFW: Strawberries, Gallo
On September 15, 1997, Safeway pledged its
support for the "issues raised by the UFW on behalf of strawberry
workers' right to organize, seek
Washington, Indiana
The New York Times on August 19, 1997 described the
UFW-Teamster effort to organize 40,000 Washington apple pickers and
15,000 warehouse workers as
Farm Worker Union Finances
Federal labor law requires all "labor organizations" with
annual receipts of $100,000 or more to file annual LM-2 reports with
the US Department of
MSPA Reform Proposed
The Migrant and Seasonal Worker Protection Act (MSPA or AWPA),
CFR 29, Part 500, is a federal law enforced by the wage and hour
division of the
Farm Labor Contractors
The California Farmer in August 1997 advised farm employers to
hire registered and reliable contractors because of the increased
likelihood of
Labor Law Enforcement
The US Employment Service in 1977 established a system of
Monitor Advocates for Migrant Seasonal Farmworkers to ensure that
migrant and seasonal
ALRB/NLRB Decisions
Union Rights of Unauthorized Workers. The US Court of
Appeals for the Second Circuit in September 1997 decided that an
unauthorized worker who
Immigration
Growers Press for Changes
On August 1, 1997, Rep.
Bob Smith (R-OR) introduced HR 2377, a bill that would create a
24-month pilot program for 25,000 temporary foreign
INS: Border and Work-Place Enforcement
The INS is charged with preventing
unauthorized aliens from entering the US, and from obtaining US jobs.
The INS has launched several high-profile
NAFTA
On November 1, 1997, the
first Mexican avocados since 1914 are expected to arrive in the 19
northeastern states of the US. Mexico produces about 67
Other
Grape Mechanization
Much of American history is the story of
producing more food and fiber with fewer people. As more farm workers
appear to be unauthorized workers
Canada: Unions, Guest Workers
Farm workers were granted organizing and
bargaining rights under Ontario's Agricultural Labour Relations Act
(Bill 91) for about one year. Under
Child Labor
Despite laws in virtually all countries
against the use of child labor, "more children work in agriculture
than in any other sector," in part
Food Safety, Processing
President Clinton in
September announced plans for a four-part program aimed at improving
the safety of both foreign and domestic produce. Under
Resources
Binational Study
US Commission on Immigration Reform. 1997.
Binational Study on Migration: Executive Summary. Washington: US
Commission on Immigration Reform.
Books and Reports
This guide lists 100 researchers and
several organizations working on rural Latinos. The 1990 Census found
48 million residents in nonmetro areas,