Thread: CA:Thousands apply for S.J. farm jobs

This story doesn't mention immigration status of the applicants. But because many are usually migrant workers on these jobs I posted it here.
Thousands apply for S.J. farm jobs

By Reed Fujii
Record Staff Writer
April 04, 2009 6:00 AM

STOCKTON - Labor officials reported 663,000 U.S. jobs were lost in March and, for a while Friday morning, it seemed like a good portion of those people turned up at Morada Produce Co. to apply for a job during the coming cherry-packing season.

Last year, the company processed roughly 2,000 applications over two hiring days.

By noon Friday, they guessed they might go through many as 4,000 applications on the first day alone.

"It's a little overwhelming," said Skip Foppiano, the owner of Morada Produce, which grows, packs and ships a variety of fruits and vegetables. "This is quite a few more than we usually get."

During the upcoming cherry season, the company might employ as many as 1,100 people to fill two daily work shifts moving, sorting, packing and shipping the fruit; and due to turnover, might have up to 1,500 different workers over the course of the season.

Foppiano said the pay ranges from minimum wage for unskilled positions to $15 to $18 an hour for more skilled jobs, such as forklift or truck driver or equipment maintenance.

Hundreds of people at a time lined up for hours to receive, fill out and return job applications.

Rosa Jimenez of Stockton was among them.

Shortly before noon, she was still a long way from getting inside where applications were being received. By that point, she had been standing in line for four hours with her 1-year-old son, Jonathan, and other family members.

"That's what we have to do," Jiminez said about the long wait to apply for work.

"It wasn't as bad as this last year," she said, having previously gotten through the Morada Produce hiring process in less than an hour.

"There's not any jobs, that's why," Jiminez said. "The economy's bad."

Carmen Ramirez of Stockton, who was filling out a Morada Produce job application on the back of a car, said she, too, was surprised at Friday's turnout. "This is the most I've seen," she said.

Ramirez said she had been in the job hunt for some time.

"I've been looking, doing applications," she explained.

"I thinking of going back to school," she added, with a goal of obtaining a high school equivalency certificate.

"Usually, the jobs right now require higher education," she said.

Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... /904040317

cvangel wrote:

This story doesn't mention immigration status of the applicants. But because many are usually migrant workers on these jobs I posted it here.

Being a migrant worker does not necessarily mean your an illegal alien. The term can also be used to describe someone who migrates within their own country to pursue seasonal work. However, I think most of us would agree that the majority of labor on the California farms is either H-2A seasonal farm workers or illegal aliens.

Originally Posted by MW

cvangel wrote:

This story doesn't mention immigration status of the applicants. But because many are usually migrant workers on these jobs I posted it here.

Being a migrant worker does not necessarily mean your an illegal alien. The term can also be used to describe someone who migrates within their own country to pursue seasonal work. However, I think most of us would agree that the majority of labor on the California farms is either H-2A seasonal farm workers or illegal aliens.

I would think the slave owners would prefer the fresh meat.

Even many of the slaves they have to cover the social services of their illegal labor is wise to their scam and beyound livid over the situation.

At some point, you should just say "we are no longer taking applications".

Dixie