what are the similarities between modern migrant workers and migrant workers in the 1930,s?

Answer 1

What a great question.

I live in rural southern Colorado's farm country. I have worked around and with migrant farm workers most of my life. My family has been in the coal mines and owned farms, orchards.

I recall the "depression' just my my grandparents talking about it in the 40's and 50's, so it was not "history" then.

Guess we all have read or see the film "Grapes of Wrath". It was still up into the late 1850's poor whites doing most of the farm labour, then we had more and more Mexicans.

Most migrants travel is small to large "family groups" often three generations. They try hard to work the same farms and ranches each season: if they had a good experience. I mean change the race in that movie to Mexican and you have what I have see since the early 1960's.

About WWII time the Mexicans really started to come to the American southwest: all the men were well in the military.
They remained some, many are now citizens.

You hear of "soup kitchens", the poverty of the Depression.
My family of course used the labour, often only paying little but room, board, medical care, and such. My granmum (Welsh) also feed anyone who came by as we had a place a few miles from a railroad stop. Guess what! 75 years later my family is feeding and helping migrants via our rural church.

CBS Edward R. Murrow did a show "Harvest of Shame" about 1960?

Things have changed little, I never heard of any issues as to not trusting migrants, none, but I heard stories how some of the "corporate" outfits were rather evil. Mexican migrants are not as they are seen in cities out here "east of Pueblo, CO".

Oh, trust me migrants are still getting a unfair deal as in "The Grapes of Wrath", no real union (The United Farmworkers in mosee active in Arizona and California) so often exploited by not getting a full days pay, etc.

Ebery day -today- I see old pickup trucks, cars loaded with all their worldy goods, children and still wonder.

I "overpay" any worker that I get to know, hire anyone if they are reccommended by any former worker. We have other "tests" of character, we all do: I ask the Catholic Sisters who should I hire and such. Now retired for the most part, I still have a property to maintain and still hire workers, guess some of "questionable" status.

But I am still reading your "simple" question. No, I have not seen an "Anglo" what we call "white people", as for work for quite a while. I recall thirty years ago some but never that many. But at least I can recall many, we also called many "hobos" that word is almost gone from our language: railroad "tramps", but we never had problems with them. Ok, yes, we will feed you but chop some wood, clean out the stables (please) as that was my duty.

Thanks I wanted to share this to all the "younger" folks.

Tell your professor or teacher you got an answer from a "real' Colorado cowboy, and farmer.

"Doc'

PS

we all carry "workers compensation' insurance for migrant workers if injured on-the-job. It pays the medical for injuries not much more. We also out of pockets have to, help when a child is ill, although the country hospitals do most of the work.

Seems I am living like my grandmum, and mum from Wales all over again.