WEBVTT - Bloomberg's Bjerga on Immigration Backlash Hurting Crops(Audio)

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<v Speaker 1>and Pat's a Bloomberg Business flash. June. Listening to Taking

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<v Speaker 1>Stock with bim box in Katlee Hayes on Bloomberg Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Taking Stock, broadcasting live from Pershing's Inside

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<v Speaker 1>twenties sixteen conference at the Higher Regency in Orlando of Florida. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>Florida is no stranger in the world of agriculture, and

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<v Speaker 1>many crops are rotting, while there has been a backlash

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<v Speaker 1>having to do with immigration meaning farm workers. Here to

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<v Speaker 1>tell us more is Alan bjorga food and agriculture reporter

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<v Speaker 1>from Bloomberg News, joining us from Washington, d C. Allen

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<v Speaker 1>is also the co host, along with Amy Morris, of

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Radio's Politics, Policy and Power, which can be heard

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<v Speaker 1>each weekend on Bloomberg ninety nine one in Washington, DC

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<v Speaker 1>or online at Bloomberg dot com. Alan, always a pleasure

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<v Speaker 1>tell us about your most recent story having to do

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<v Speaker 1>with the relationship between crops that are rotting in the

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<v Speaker 1>fields and immigration policy in the United States. Well them,

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<v Speaker 1>it's always a challenge do a story about something that

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<v Speaker 1>isn't happening, UM, but this is a significant thing that

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<v Speaker 1>isn't happening, which is the lack of immigration reform which

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<v Speaker 1>is affecting American agriculture um U s Farm employers chronically

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<v Speaker 1>complained about worker shortages, UM difficulties recruiting folks to harvest

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<v Speaker 1>crops UM and it's getting to the point where starting

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<v Speaker 1>to affect bottom lines. UM. In my story, I interview

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<v Speaker 1>one form farmer in California, Carlos Castaneda. UM. He saw

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<v Speaker 1>some of his cabbage crop go un harvested because he

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<v Speaker 1>was involved in some bureaucratic paperwork issues that kept him

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<v Speaker 1>from getting workers when he needed needed it. This is

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<v Speaker 1>a highly seasonal industry, especially in fresh produce that requires

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<v Speaker 1>labor um in terms of those crops, a dairy needs

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<v Speaker 1>farm labor year round. Of these are largely immigrant workforces,

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<v Speaker 1>and of course in Washington here you've seen such a

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<v Speaker 1>chilling in the environment toward immigration reform in the past

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<v Speaker 1>few years that you have the agricultural lobby, which is

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<v Speaker 1>one of the more powerful lobbies in wash Ington, actually

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<v Speaker 1>having to stand on the sidelines and tinker a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit because they just don't see a hope of change,

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<v Speaker 1>which slowly erodes US competitiveness with other countries. Ironically, we

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<v Speaker 1>end up losing business to Mexico because we actually won't

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<v Speaker 1>let workers from that country in Well, of course, uh,

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<v Speaker 1>there's a couple of issues here that have been in

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<v Speaker 1>place for some time. You could say, well, this is

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<v Speaker 1>a race to the bottom. We will let in immigrant

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<v Speaker 1>workers who will work for less and less and less,

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<v Speaker 1>and that will put maybe pressure on the workers are

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<v Speaker 1>already here, which is one reason why some people are

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<v Speaker 1>are wondering if we're on the right track. And then,

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<v Speaker 1>of course there's been loss in place for many years

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<v Speaker 1>old as you know, that have made it illegal for

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<v Speaker 1>large corporations to hire workers are undocumented, but instead they

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<v Speaker 1>have there have been precious few uh prosecutions along those lines,

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<v Speaker 1>and so we've had more and more people come in undocumented. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you think that the corporations maybe just to need

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<v Speaker 1>to step up, maybe a little bit bit more honest

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<v Speaker 1>about their labor needs and maybe get things rolling that way. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>And Kathleen, you bring up a couple of excellent one points. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>You know a lot of people who have read my

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<v Speaker 1>story have written back and said, hey, you know, just

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<v Speaker 1>let the market work. Um, if you offered better wages

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<v Speaker 1>and work conditions, you could get a better domestic workforce,

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<v Speaker 1>a larger domestic workforce. Yeah, maybe there'll be a few

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<v Speaker 1>more pennies for your fruit in the grocery store. But

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<v Speaker 1>Americans will do these jobs if you simply offer them

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<v Speaker 1>the conditions that they want. Um. The other issue in

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<v Speaker 1>terms of employers is again it's very gray what's required

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<v Speaker 1>of companies in terms of what they're looking for in

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<v Speaker 1>their workforce. It's you could almost call it a don't ask,

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<v Speaker 1>don't tell policy um, where farmers are not on the

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<v Speaker 1>hook for verifying their employees documents. So if somebody has

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<v Speaker 1>some papers and they look okay to the farmer, it

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<v Speaker 1>all kind of moves along. But this under the radar

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<v Speaker 1>system that takes place some estimates saying that half of

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<v Speaker 1>the agricultural workforce in the United States is undocumented ie

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<v Speaker 1>illegal um. It's not as to stay annable system. And

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<v Speaker 1>and again the employers, of course they look at the

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<v Speaker 1>foreign workforce and they see folks who will come in

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<v Speaker 1>and they'll do the job, and they're willing to do

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<v Speaker 1>it despite their efforts to recruit American workers. It's backbreaking labor.

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<v Speaker 1>The conditions are not great. Even if the pay is improved.

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<v Speaker 1>There are other jobs of comparable pay that you know,

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<v Speaker 1>native born workers will gravitate toward. And it puts them

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<v Speaker 1>in a real conundrum here. They're trying to be competitive,

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<v Speaker 1>they're trying to get crops harvested. They're seeing problems having

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<v Speaker 1>this workforce At the same time, these potential workforce solutions

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<v Speaker 1>that would be sought could actually price themselves out of

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<v Speaker 1>their own marketplace. So it's kind of a rock and

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<v Speaker 1>a hard place, and of course there aren't easy solutions.

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<v Speaker 1>Otherwise this would be an easy to paint Alan and

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<v Speaker 1>you talked about the theories about offering these jobs at

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<v Speaker 1>higher wages to American workers. Is there any evidence to

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<v Speaker 1>support the notion that that would actually happen. Well. A

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<v Speaker 1>good example is the current visa program, which is called

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<v Speaker 1>the H two A visa program is a temporary farm

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<v Speaker 1>worker visa program. About a hundred and twenty thousand workers

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<v Speaker 1>came to the United States under this program last year.

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<v Speaker 1>In the lack of comprehensive immigration reform, H two A

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<v Speaker 1>m for the flaw all the flaws that the agriculture

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<v Speaker 1>industry says it has, is being relied on more and more.

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<v Speaker 1>Under that visa program. There are requirements in terms of

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<v Speaker 1>how much advertising you have to do for native born workers.

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<v Speaker 1>Um the requirement that native born workers come first. That

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<v Speaker 1>if somebody shows up and says, hey, I want to

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<v Speaker 1>do this job, you have to hire them before you

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<v Speaker 1>hire a foreign born worker. These employers are still not

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<v Speaker 1>filling these jobs with those requirements, and that becomes part

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<v Speaker 1>of their argument of look, we're doing everything the government

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<v Speaker 1>is asking us to do to have a native born workforce.

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<v Speaker 1>It just ain't working. We need a workable immigration policy

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<v Speaker 1>so we can remain competitive both of the domestic and

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<v Speaker 1>the global marketplace. Alan Berga, thank you so very much

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<v Speaker 1>for joining us these food and agricultural order for Bloomberg

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<v Speaker 1>News based in Washington, d C. So we are wrapping

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<v Speaker 1>up day one of our coverage here at Pershing Insight

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<v Speaker 1>twenties sixteen at the Highatt Regency in Orlando. We want

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<v Speaker 1>to thank everybody who's joined us on the show today

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<v Speaker 1>and certainly thank Pershing Insight for inviting us another terrific show. Tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll have a discussion with Suresh Kumar. He is one

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<v Speaker 1>uh the technology innovators bright lights in the whole field

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<v Speaker 1>of investment advising. He'll be our guest on taking Stock.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Kathleen Hayes along with Pim Fox. I think Charlie Bohmer,

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<v Speaker 1>our technical director, Sam Link, our producer, Reggie Bazell, our

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