Who did the work that "American's won't do" 20 or 30 years ago?

Question

McMurphy, I agree.

Answer 1

Lower skilled work 20-30 years ago, was done by teenagers and lower skilled American and legal immigrants.


And all that can happen again in 2007. We need to deport the illegal aliens, kick the teenagers out of the house, and incentivize the lower skilled american to either go to school or go to work.

Answer 2

Mostly Americans. I find it interesting that "the work americans won't do" keeps expanding. It used to be farmwork now you see farmwork AND construction. What do you suppose is next?

20 years ago most construction workers were american. Now the trades are dominated by illegals. Greedy contractors charge union scale, pay the illegals 1/2 of that and pocket the rest. 20 years ago a carpenter made $20.00/hr. Now they are lucky to get $10.00. Has anyone noticed the price of housing going down?

30 years ago my family owned an avocado farm in San Diego and WE picked the fruit. We hired the "packing house" crew (Calavo) one time. They came in with their braceros who picked everything they could reach easily and called ther job done. So much for "hardworking". WE had to go back and do the Hard work which is why we never used them again.

Bottom line, having these illegals here is not saving us any money. They are not doing jobs that americans won't do. All they are doing is mking the rich richer and eliminating the middle class....sounds just like Mexico doesn't it?

Answer 3

Americans did it. All different kinds of Americans....black, white, brown, etc. Back then the jobs Americans supposidly won't do, were paid enough to provide for a family. The object of work is to make money to provide for your family. If the pay isn't enough to keep you going or meet basic needs....then people find other work to be able to do that. There's work in Mexico.....no work isn't the problem....it's work that pays enough to live on. Just like it is here. They don't have a shortage of people, we don't have a shortage of people....we have a shortage of jobs paying enough to live on. Typically as Americans we have fought for fair wages and fair labor practices and other things. All our poor didn't illegally cross the closest border in mass everytime our economy or people were in financial trouble. We fought to make it better and did.

That is until this "global" thing and "free trade" came along. Can't survive here on a cup of rice so it's impossible to compete with people fairly when it's far from enough for basics for us to survive.

I just know Americans rode the ups and downs out and it's a real slap in the face that the very people the American people backed and supported to get them where they are today have sold us out without so much as a second thought for nothing more than "cheap". It was unthinkable to fire a dedicated employee that served a company for decades simply because they could get somebody else for "cheaper". Employers invested more into their employees and employees invested more than just showing up.

Good American values were sold out for greed. Used to be quality was better than quantity. Used to be how good you did your job....not how fast you could get through it. I mean there's reasonable expectations and then there's just shoddy work.

Americans don't like being treated like a disposable unit and being paid nothing for it. Do that and many won't do it anymore. It's not the job itself.....it's the pay and how they're treated. Our fight was to have employers then be forced to look at that and change their ways. Can't ,when there's millions of illegals willing to do it or when they can just pull up shop and go to another country and abuse those people instead.

Answer 4

For years illegals crossed the border during harvest season. After harvest ended, they took their money home. They had no desire to live here. But now, it is too dangerous to continually cross the border year after year. If the Border Patrol don't get you, the coyote wants big money to guarantee passage. So, once here... many are stuck here. They do want to go home , but as time goes by , their children are born here and this becomes home. But... they are still illegal and have no desire to speak the language or pursue citizenship. And that is a mucho grande problema!!! In order to help alleviate that problem, Reagan just granted blanket amnesty to all in '86.
And you know the rest of the story.

Answer 5

Americans did. No one seems to get this though. I posted a question a few days ago that asked something similar and I got responses like "the legal immigrants from Italy" or "slaves". Well, the legal immigrants from Italy came here before 30 years ago and slavery ended over 100 years ago. Basically what I'm trying to say is Americans aren't lazy like illegal immigrants want you to believe.

Answer 6

20 or 30 years ago , the work was being done by Mexican Nationals. It was called the "Braceros' (open arms) program that lasted from 1942-1964.
In 1964 the plan was terminated and the work was done by Undocumented Mexicans from the Bracero day and Filipino workers that formed the United Farmworkers Union Led by Cesar Chavez.

You guys live in a fairy land, it has been years since WW II that white American have worked in the fields in any large numbers and your not going to make it in the fields now. I worked in the fields in Arizona in the 1940s as a young child, I remember Black, Indians and Mexicans. I do not remember any whites, Talk is cheap ,where are your workers? how many of you will work in the fields for minimum wage. How Many ?

www,farmworkers.org/barcerop.html.

Answer 7

That is a misconception, Americans built this country and did the work. Americans worked in construction, manufacturing, coal mines and meat packing. 20 or 30 years ago we did not have a 'service economy' which amplifies the need for unskilled workers.

Answer 8

Mexico and the USA have had the same problem, Mexico get's their pickers from Guatemala, the rich own most of the land. If you can't pick your own crops, you got too much land, sell or give it to someone who can.
The real enemy is not us, its the rich. Mexico is in the top ten of the richest country's in the world, I live in Mexico, but, like the USA we are ruled by the rich and taught to fight among our selves. There are solutions, their not easy or comfortable, but if you really want the world to change, you have to change the world, where you are, not by leaving it.
Viva Zapata

Answer 9

in the 70's and 80's?, I think immigrants did most of the work Americans couldn't do.

Right now it's the same. I wouldn't

But a long time ago, Americans probably did, but we now made it so that we need immigrants to do those jobs. whatever jobs you are talking about.

Answer 10

Migrant Mexican workers - in the southern states anyway. My relatives had an avocado farm in California and always used migrant workers at harvest time.