83R18451 JGH-D
By: Canales H.R. No. 1431
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, In the United States, an estimated three million
migrant and seasonal farmworkers cultivate, harvest, and prepare
crops for market or storage each year; and
WHEREAS, The first wave of migrant farmworkers arrived in the
United States in the mid-to-late 19th century; these early
travelers were experienced miners, workhands from cattle ranches,
and indentured servants fleeing Mexican traditional farms; between
1850 and 1880, more than 55,000 Mexican workers immigrated to the
United States, about two-thirds of them pursuing employment in
Texas; and
WHEREAS, Though many workers continued to immigrate at the
turn of the 20th century, the use of migrant laborers declined
during the Great Depression, as internal migrant workers from Dust
Bowl states moved West; the major federal labor laws of this era,
which established a minimum wage and set 16 as the minimum age for
work, excluded farmworkers, who could legally work at the age of 12;
and
WHEREAS, Ethnographic accounts of migrant laborers during
that time reveal that most lived and worked under very poor
conditions, and many feared that complaining would lead to
deportation; in the years that followed, leaders like Cesar Chavez
and Dolores Huerta and groups like the United Farm Workers and the
National Center for Farmworker Health fought to ensure safer
working conditions and better wages; the advocacy for farmworker
rights and protection continues under La Union del Pueblo Entero, a
sister organization of the United Farm Workers, which has 7,000
members in South Texas; and
WHEREAS, Migrant farmworkers are the engine that drives the
agricultural sector of the United States economy, a $28 billion
industry, yet despite their tremendous contributions, most earn
annual incomes below the poverty level; and
WHEREAS, In addition to low wages, migrant farmworkers rarely
have access to workers' compensation or disability benefits, even
though their occupation is one of the most dangerous in America;
they suffer from the highest rates of toxic chemical injuries and
skin disorders, while only 10 percent report having
employer-provided health insurance; the consequences of these
conditions are alarming: according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, the life expectancy for migrant farmworkers
is 49 years, compared to 73 for the general U.S. population; and
WHEREAS, More than three million people work in the
agricultural industry in the United States, and one-third of those
are hired farmworkers, according to a 2006 report from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture; their presence has been shown to
increase the overall economic output of the regions in which they
labor, including Texas, where more than 131,000 migrant farmworkers
actively work, including more than 31,000 in Hidalgo County alone;
and
WHEREAS, The seasonal and labor-intensive work that migrant
farmworkers perform is integral to the success of the agricultural
economy of our country and our state, and it is indeed fitting to
honor the men and women engaged in this honorable occupation; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby recognize April 23, 2013, as Migrant Farmworker
Day and encourage all Texans to consider the contributions and
history of migrant farmworkers in the Lone Star State.