Most of us student don’t understand the hardship of working in the fields, one of the reasons working in the fields is hard is because of the strain the activity puts on your back, or that we have to work in either very hot weather, or freezing cold temperatures, and finally we get paid less, or are low income as some people like to call it.

What we don’t see is when the workers get mistreated just because they can’t stand up to their bosses. They fear that if they were to say something that the boss would fire them, the worst is being threatened by a boss that they will report you to ICE. I have heard about this happening and I don’t think it is right for the bosses to treat the workers that way just because they have the power to.

Another thing that the workers have to deal with is not being compensated for hours worked overtime, most ranchos or companies do pay for overtime but others pay less than what they are supposed to.

While some people enjoy the breeze of the rain, do you ever think about the field workers and how they feel,  and even worse, they can get sick. The aisles may fill up with water, and while this happens, workers put on their rain boots and trash bags over their clothes, they must continue working to sustain their families.

I have experienced field-work firsthand and it is hard. I can’t talk for all the people that work in the fields because I only work there during the summer, I got to experience it for 2 months that is why I like it. While working during the summer, we drank water that wasn’t suitable for drinking, and we drank it because we were used to it.

Not only in the strawberry fields but also in the peas, blueberries, and chilis where I have worked. I have seen a lot disadvantages and I hope one day I can really do something about it in the future. The whole point of this informational story was that we have some hard working immigrants in this country that don’t get enough credit for it.

Featured Image: Adela Salazar