Rio Grande Valley — The Rio Grande Valley known as The Valley of Tears is becoming El Valle de H2A workers. Workers with H2A visas are hired to harvest the crops, work previously done by local workers. H2A workers are more exploited than local workers because local workers have a history of fighting for their rights.
H2A workers sacrifice a lot to obtain a visa to come to work in the United States. An H2A worker is forced to work an average of 12 hours per day, either harvesting citrus or picking vegetables and watermelon. If they are injured on the job the contractor ignores them and they are not taken for treatment.
In addition, they are paid as little as possible even though these workers have a contract that guarantees them the Texas minimum wage of at least $14.84 an hour. This goes for all the states in the United States. However, the contractor pays them by piece work instead of an hourly wage. Although the contract states they should be paid hourly wages.
Not only are H2A workers cheated in their wages but also they live in abdominable conditions. They are provided with housing, often in poor condition. The contractor puts groups of people in very small dwellings with only a refrigerator, a stove, and a bathroom to save money. They even have to pay the contractor for their daily meals. One of the reasons  H2A workers are exploited in all the possible ways is because neither the US government nor the Mexican government or other governments are vigilant enough to insure on the just treatment of these workers. And when they do it’s too late.
The number of workers in the H2A and H2B programs is increasing. They are not only hiring workers from Mexico but also from Guatemala, El Salvador, Africa, Ukraine, and the list goes on. The reason is obvious, since governments, contractor settlers, and ranchers are earning millions of dollars off these workers. When atrocities happen against these workers, they turn their faces the other way. There are very few agencies that advocate for these workers and as long as they don’t complain nothing will be done.
They have to pay the contractor for their daily meals.
Before H2A workers are hired, Texas Workforce Solutions must seek out local workers and offer them these jobs. But they don’t because hiring H2A workers is cheaper. but if H2A workers we need to insure they receive the same salary and enjoy the same rights as local workers.
According to the regulations, local workers must have priority over local workers. This is not to say that H2A workers should go unprotected. Both the Department of Labor (USDOL) and the Mexican Consulate are responsible to ensure compliance with these regulations. But of course, they don’t because profits come first. Although too many accidents and atrocities happen every day, we must continue the pressure on those who are responsible to implement the regulations.
El Tribuno del Pueblo brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: tribunodelpueblo.org. We’re all volunteers, no paid staff. Please donate at http://tribunodelpueblo.org to keep bringing you the voices of the movement because no human being is illegal.
