1960: "Harvest of Shame"

What is happening in the Congo has nothing to do with Johannesburg or Cape Town, it is not NASA land or Nigeria, this is Florida, these are citizens of the United States,

1960

. This is a way for migrant workers, street vendors sing. peace going rate in the various fields this is the way the humans who grow food for the best fed people in the world get to hire one looked at this and said we used to own our slaves now we just rent them the secretary of work looked at the migrant plight and said I think a large mass of what I called the excluded Americans are people who cry out to the workers and their children and their wives who cry out for help and whose plight is a

shame

, it's a

shame

in United States, the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, the largest farmers' organization, says that I think most social workers would agree that it is better for a man to be employed even if his ability is such that it limits their income and we take the position that it is much better thousands of these people who are practically unemployed earn some money doing some productive work for at least a few days a year.

This is an American story that begins in Florida and ends in New Jersey and New York State with the

harvest

of

1960

. Grapes of Wrath that begins at the Mexican border in California and ends in Oregon and Washington is the story of men, women and kids who work 136 days a year and an average of 900 a year they ride buses they ride trucks they follow the sun well I don't know it doesn't look like we're ever going to get ahead I guess we'll just have to keep going until we can find something better. a minister named cassidy who works with them says they are as bad as a slave in name only they are not slaves but the way they are treated they are wishing they were slaves and someone has to make thousands of dollars from their sweat whether they are slaves or not It's the immigrant workers in the sweatshops of the soil, the

harvest

of shame, brought to you tonight by Philip Morris, incorporated manufacturers of unfiltered flavored Marlboro filter cigarettes, now Edward R Murrow, this is CBS reports the harvest of shame, has to do with the men, women and children who harvest the crops in this country of ours, the best fed nation in the world, these are the forgotten people, the little protected, the little educated, the unclothed, the malnourished We present this Thanksgiving report because if it weren't for the work of the people you were going to meet, you might not be starving, but their table wouldn't be laden with the luxuries we've all come to consider essential.

We'd like you to meet some of your fellow citizens who grow food for the best-fed nation in the world. David Lowe speaks to Mrs Doby, a 34-year-old mother. of nine children Mrs. Dolby what things do you pick in the north we pick strawberries and cherries who works with you from this family here everyone except the baby who takes care of them in the field well, they just stay with us or the one who can't walk takes care of himself it usually stays in the baby stroller what's an average dinner for the family well, you're just referring to what we actually have, well, I cook a pot of beans and fry some potatoes or some corn or something like that how many liters of do you buy milk for the children?

Well, we don't, I don't, we don't have milk, except maybe when we get paid, we have milk about once a week for all these kids. The baby is bottle-fed and uses about 15 cans of milk a week, but older children drink milk about once a week. Do you like to drink milk? Mrs. Dylan, yes, they like milk. The only reason I asked that question. I'm pretty surprised they only drink milk once a week, I just thought they didn't like it, but they like milk, but it's okay, there are so many that a gallon of milk will be enough for them in one glass, so we can't afford it. every day. day, what do you want most for your children, Mrs.

Doby? Well, I would like them to have a career, whatever they want to be when they grow up, of course, the little ones haven't realized what they want yet. I would like to be, but the older the girl would like to go to school if she could because it would probably be like the boy would have to give up since she is old enough. She really likes going to school, but she had to miss it. last week because she had to keep the baby so I could work Mrs. Joby, would you never mind having a house of your own?

I would like to have a house if we plan to buy one if we could ever get enough to pay. buy one we would buy one do you think this will ever happen? Well, it doesn't seem like it. This is Belle Glade, Florida, where the exodus begins each year. Immigrants call it home. What circus people call their winter quarters. Their Belle Glade Police Chief, Charles Goodlatte of Sarasota, says the problem we have now is those who come here and don't have the money to rent a room. They will sleep around the bars in the grass and the packing houses around the lake area in the parks any place they can find to sleep and rest for a few hours they come here with one thought in mind is to survive until the end of this season and save enough money to move on to the next state going north from cities like this throughout Florida and throughout the South the two or three million move in their annual migration that ends at the end of November they take with them the little they own the little they are At the okeechobee work camp as families prepared to move north there was still some work in the bean fields the children as always had to fend for themselves Jerome Uh how old are you nine and nine? you go to school?

Yes, amazing, where do you go to school? I see what your sister's name is, that's Lois and, uh, what are your other sisters' names? katherine and beulah catherine and beulah what happened to your foot jerome moving in battle wash us I see you put a nail in the laundry room what did your mother do? do it she put some alcohol where do you sleep jerome in her bed you have this big bed yeah what happened how did you get that hole in that bed there jerome rats but now what jerome are you taking care of kathy from beulah and lois Yes, now you're going to give them the lunch today.

Yes, what are you going to feed them? Almost. Do you have any food here to give them? Yes, I see what time your mother comes home the next day. A thin king. Jerome's mother Kathy. lois and beulah were picking beans again sick king i saw your kids yesterday at camp okeechobee why didn't you put them in daycare he doesn't make enough to pay for it how much does it cost to put them in 85 85 cents that's true elaine why time you left the field this morning at six o'clock what time would you get home around 3 30 4 o'clock six this morning at four o'clock this afternoon that's right, how much did you make a dollar a dollar? that's right, one dollar is because the beans were poor quality, that's right, this happened before, that's right, uh, how much will your meal cost you today? about two dollars alien how old are you? 29 how many children do you have 14 how old were you when?

You started working in the field eight years ago, you have been working in the field for 21 years, that's right, Eileen, did you ever think you could get out of this type of work? No sir, all immigrants travel fourth class if there is a privileged class they travel in their own jalopy following the best tradition of the family fuck the long journey begins through atlanta nashville indianapolis en route to the fields and orchards of america lowell has been Following the immigrants for the last nine months some are free and travel as a family unit, he met the Parsons family when they were about to leave Belle Glade tomatoes for Indiana strawberries.

Mr. Parsons, do you think the farmers you work for care about your problems? Nelson, they're not particularly worried about you, they just want to get you and your stuff out. Get away as quickly as possible Would you say you are welcome when they need you? Well, that's the only time you're welcome is when they need you. They're friendly and all, but once they're done. with you why they would prefer you to move, have they ever asked you to leave their places? Oh yeah, they tell you if you'll finish like tomorrow, while they'd rather you leave in like three days and all. way they will reduce your electricity bills and all the other things.

What do you want most in this world for yourself and your family? I would like my family to stay together as much as possible. on a farm somewhere away from a lot of people where they could attend a church and be primarily interested in a school and that way I think everyone would be more satisfied Mr. Parsons do you think this will ever happen so as not to bring it up? I go now, no, most of them travel between 1500 and 2000 miles to work in vehicles owned by team leaders who recruit workers for the migration north. This is the Roach family looking for work, Mr.

Roach, how did you get to this place? Well, I came. To Agustine and I was talking to some people and they told me to go down to Weight Cross, which was a smart job in Waycross. Look how many miles you've been traveling looking for work so far, about sixteen hundred something, Mr. Roach. Where did you spend the night last night with his family in the woods? He fell on the side of the road. Our little dirt road is on the left side in the woods outside his car. May I ask, sir, what you and your family had for dinner?

Last night, well, we blew sausages on our bread, which is not very good food for a growing family. Alright? We won it with that. How much money do you have in the world right now? I'll have about a dollar. uh, 45 cents, well, what are you planning to do today regarding food for your family? Well, I've always worked and I always thought I could get a job. I have never been where I couldn't get something to make. The vegetables that the immigrants picked yesterday move quickly north on rails. The products en route to America's tables in a trailer are refrigerated and carefully packaged to avoid bruises.

The cattle are Taken to the market, according to federal regulations, they must receive water, feed and rest for five hours every 28 hours. Men, women and children are taken to the northern fields on trips of up to four days and three nights. They often travel ten hours without stopping for food or facilities. The first stop is usually in Yuli, Florida, a mile from the Georgia border, a checkpoint for agricultural labor. When leaving the state, there are other stops in Kingsland, Georgia for bread and meat for sandwiches, dairy and Georgia for facilities. A roadside stop on the route in South Carolina, a thousand miles north of Belle Glade, Florida, via US Routes 17 and 301 through Jacksonville Savannah, Charleston, Wilmington and Newbern.

It's Elizabeth City, North Carolina, a bean stop worth six weeks. This camp was home for 40 days for the families of Tom Lockett's team. You are now 30 hours from Belle Glade, Miss Blakely, how many years have you been farming in the fields pretty much all over? I haven't done much in my life otherwise, but in the countryside all my life I raised all my children. When I woke up I noticed that uh there's some straw there, what's that for? Well, that was the straw they brought so people could sleep. Well, uh, mattresses weren't supplied here, they used to be, but not now, Mrs.

Blakely, where's the water supply here? That's a red job for how many people, but this and that, honestly, they're all going to be used the same way and how many, how many bathrooms are there in here now? Where do you use the bathroom? Where are the facilities? We don't have one. We use our tin tubes. Mrs. Brown. How did the children do on the trip north? Well, they got it. kyle, you know when helm, you know that soul management, but we made it, miss brown, can I ask you how old are you? I'm 37 years old, Mrs.

Brown, how many years have you been working in the fields all my life? Do you remember how old you were? When you started I was approximately a year old. Would you like to get out of this job? I will make war do you think you will ever be able to do it? I hope so. Do you think you can, even if I can't? Know that 20 miles from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, workers led 900 miles north by team leader Norman Hall picked beans at the prevailing price of 50 cents. a bottle heated by the sun's rays In a survey conducted in 21 states by the National Council of Churches, the immigrants themselves listed the evils of life in labor camps, poor housing, flies, mosquitoes, dirty beds and mattresses, unsanitary bathrooms and lack of hot water. to bathe The employer of hundreds of migrant workers was asked if they were happy people, well I guess they have a bit of gypsy in their blood, they just like it, many of them wouldn't do anything else, many of them don't know any different, that's all they do. they want to do it they love it they love going from one place to another they don't have anyworry in the world they are happier than us today they eat tomorrow they don't worry they are the happiest race of people in the world earth, mr jones, do you believe that migrant labor earns a living wage, do they make a poor living?

In other words, sometimes it's like the farmer, sometimes when things are going well, when the returns are good and they can make good money, they make a good living but take year after year from different seasons different sections of the country I would say no, they make a bad living there are days when the beans are not ready for harvest and that is another day without income ed king a team leader hauled his workers to this camp in powell's landing virginia where they worked for five weeks plucking corn and picking beans and when the fields have been cleared in north carolina and virginia the trucks and buses move north again this is littleferry creek on the outskirts of norfolk 20,000 immigrants are transported to the fertile fields of cape virginia and the coasts eastern maryland and delaware in search of beans, tomatoes, asparagus and potatoes for a crew the difficulties culminated in the disaster, the death of a migrant, we had a small problem on the road around four in the morning this sunday tomorrow and um, our car and a little red, has this ever happened before with any cruise ship coming up north once, as I recall, or federal law?

What happened? They all died each year, as predictably as the seasons there are accidents resulting in death and serious injury to these workers on June 6, 1957 at the intersection of US Route 301 and State Highway 102 nine miles from Fayetteville North Carolina 21 Immigrants killed 17 men, three women and the baby, according to the police report. One of the causes of the great loss of life was the packaging of the truck's occupants. Today only six states have laws that provide for the safe transportation of migrants within their states. borders the state of north carolina is not one of the six secretary of labor mitchell Hardly a year goes by without us reading in the newspaper about some very serious accident in which, sometimes, a dozen or more people have died simply because There is no interstate standard regarding safety.

Another complication of the flow of immigrants is the constant flow of foreign workers into the available pool of domestic workers, hundreds of thousands of Mexican brasseros and thousands of offshore contract workers from the Caribbean area, depressing the wage scale of national immigrants. This controversy is most bitter on the West Coast. Joseph Woods, a sailor. Pacific combat veteran competes against brasseros. I spoke with the Woods family under a tree that was his California home. Mr. Woods, how did you choose this place to camp? Well, someone told us about it and they told us it was fine. Camp here, where do you get your water supply from?

Then we will go to the city and how he will bring her back here. Can we have a 10 gallon can? What do you use for healthcare facilities? Mr. Wood. Well, let's manage as best we can. How many days? Will he have to be picking cherries to find enough money to move into a house? Well, probably many usually want a month's rent in advance, so by the time the cherries are here, we'll be moving somewhere else anyway, Mrs. Wood. tell me about the children they go out to the gardens and work with you when you work well we have taken them out sometimes but they are a little too small to work who takes care of them here my father stays here and takes care of them Do you generally think that you will ever earn enough money Picking fruit, Mr.

Woods, so you can settle down in a place and have a house of your own? I don't believe it. All over the United States there are others like the Woods family. who cannot enjoy the luxury of living in a labor camp in New Jersey a few miles from Princeton. Is this labor camp? There are two water taps and two latrines. Families live in one room. Usually in a bed. Single men live in the bull. pit four people live in this room in new jersey a family of six will move into this room nearby a trotting track has new horse stables cost five hundred thousand dollars in cutchog new york 300 immigrants live in this camp owned and operated by the potato association from long island producers this is migrant housing 90 miles from times square today some have tried to abandon the endless stream of migration wherever this happens local slum areas are expanding this is riverhead long island new york the minister said this is what more primitive than man can live this former immigrant settlement is called the bottoms in chenango county state of new york an agricultural labor camp the ultimate goal of the ed king team 1257 miles from belle glade the immigrant mission serves half a pint of milk and a cookie to each child this is their lunch their parents have lunch in the country, sometimes 75 miles away, this is the living space of Lean King and his five children.

The room is similar to her winter quarters in Belle Glade, only smaller. Charles Schuman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, says we were the only group of people that provides housing for our workers and we provide these additional benefits, some people, some sections, call it providing and it's almost impossible to calculate the value of these additional benefits while not tolerating inadequate housing, Mr. Schuman. Why is the American Farm Bureau Federation so violently opposed to federal legislation? I think there will be faster progress with state regulation than with federal regulation. We believe that the federal legislation will follow the path that almost all federal legislation follows of additional measures and stricter and stricter Regulations with more and more bureaucracy and more cuts in a certain pattern across the country.

I would probably rule out the use of migrant labor very quickly. The intermediary between the farmer and the migrant is the leader of the crew. remnant of the standards system in widespread use 60 years ago Ed King, a team leader says well, the team leader has to be in some way the father and mother and everything when he takes his team out because the entire team is in his dependent majority Direct here, Reverend Michael Cassidy, who is traveling with the migrants, says: Well, some of the crew leaders are good, but most of them are bad, they are so bad that they are the worst they can be.

They are trying to skin them alive. These immigrants take every diamond, every penny they earn, they try every possible scheme, for example, they pay the owner, the producer, they pay them 45 cents to pick up a box of tomatoes and then they turn around, they pay the hand of work 12 cents in the mosque. And, naturally, they have three, forty, fifty or a hundred people picking tomatoes. He makes me meet a man last year who made fourteen thousand dollars here, the leader of the gang and all the men they left here and I met him in Alabama. They were bankrupt, they never died because they didn't make the money themselves.

Everyone who knows anything about this situation agrees that the best hope for the future of immigrants lies in the education of their children, but for the children of immigrants, education is not easy. come, there are six hundred thousand of them, most state child labor laws ignore farm children, and so far the children of immigrants are worried, almost without exception, they drop out of school at the age of 16 forever. The United States Office of Education reports that migrant workers have the highest illiteracy rate in the country approximately one in 500 children whose parents are still migrant workers finishes primary school approximately one in five thousand completes secondary school and does not there is no case on record for the child of a migrant worker have you ever received a college diploma only six states have summer schools for immigrants the new jersey school center is in cranberry laura how old are you 11 11 what grade are you in sixth sixth grade uh do you intend to go to high school laura yeah what? would you like to be?

I would like to be a teacher. What would you like to teach? I like teaching fifth grade. What do you think about going to school here in Cranberry New Jersey? I like Harry. I like it. It would look good. Do you have any idea what you want to do when you grow up? Be a teacher. Well, how old are you? Patricia eight. In what ninth grade? What grade are you? So do you have any idea what you want to be here when you grow up yeah, what is that? a nurse otis what would you like to do when you grow up I'm going to be a doctor you're going to be a doctor yes what kind of doctor do you know a dentist Mrs.

Christine Schack they asked her teacher about her students, Mr. Shank, uh, uh, her students, what? They are mostly children of immigrant families, are they eager to receive an education? Terribly anxious, even more so than the child in the normal school year, do they get any help from their parents as much as possible? When it comes to school work, you will usually find that the parents themselves are not educated when we go out to enroll the children, many times the parents will make an x ​​and the interviewing person will have to sign it to obtain permission for the child to be enrolled in school Mr.

Schack, how does this problem affect you personally? I think maybe I feel a little bit of responsibility toward these kids because I realize that here in New Jersey we reap the benefits of their parents' work and the kids are suffering because their parents are here. As I did this, I saw a bright little girl named Laura Weeks. Will she really have the opportunity to continue her education? Laura is from rural Florida and she comes from an extremely large family. In fact, I think there are eight or nine girls in total. The girls in the family have been coming to New Jersey for about three or four years, as far as I know, Laura is one of my returning students.

I have seen great progress year after year and Laura we have had her for three sessions, however, I think due to the family's financial conditions and the size of the family and the fact that she is in a rural area, she probably will not He will pass senior high school or maybe complete high school with luck. What about Harriet Damon? Harriet two is from a very large family there are nine children the daemon family we have six of them here in the summer program she is the oldest of the nine I seriously doubt that Harriet has the opportunity to further her education one can't help but feel sorry for her those who are in such a condition the federal government spends six and a half million dollars annually protecting migratory wildlife this year congress did not appropriate three and a half million dollars to educate migratory children asked senator harrison williams chairman of the subcommittee on migrant labor If state or federal legislation were the answer, many aspects can only be successfully addressed at the national level, for example, wages, we cannot, we see states in competitive positions, they are reluctant to increase wages or through legislation in their state.

Because their farmers are competing with farmers from other states and we see in education some states that have made great strides, we cannot expect states to go it alone when they know their neighboring state with whom their farmers are competing or doing nothing. We know that almost everyone in this country has some federal support for adequate housing through the FHA or any program except the agricultural community and the migrant farmer is the worst housed member of our society, Senator Williams, a Democrat and Labor Secretary Mitchell. A republican has called for legislation that will likely be introduced before the next session of congress, and just last week president eisenhower made the presidential committee on immigrants a permanent body, but the real problem is that there are many types of farmers and many types of crops, large Mechanized grain and dairy producers use little or no migrant labor.

Some of the major canneries pay fair wages and provide adequate housing; However, it should be noted that most fruit and vegetable farmers find it economically impossible to build good housing like this for use. Only six weeks a year does the farmer claim that he is caught between what society expects and the demands of the market. Howard Jones, a Florida farmer was asked if he knew what the grains harvested that day would bring to market. Well, you can't tell for one. From one day to the next, some days you'll go there and you'll get five dollars and I've seen it drop to a dollar and a half the next day, but one day it'll be three dollars, the next day it might be two one. day there will be two and the next day there might be four that set their price right, um, that's what we're all trying to figure out, uh, everyone, I don't know the answer, but uh, the chains seem to be more about setting the prices. prices than anyone else is too much difference between the price youThey are paying farmers all over the country and something they have thought about trying to get someone to investigate some of the congressmen the senators but you go up Outside of Washington, we had a group of guys that came here a couple of years ago and told them They toured the agriculture department.

Everyone gave them a spin. We think those networks have lobbyists in Washington and will do quite well. Whatever you want, Mr. Mitchell, some of the producers have told us that chain stores set prices and cannot meet them if they pay their labor a higher wage. What's up with that? Well, I wonder if that is a very valid argument that could be What is said about many other industries could be said, for example, about the clothing industry and I have heard that retailers dictate to the manufacturer the price they will pay for a garment and, in effect, they tell you that you produce the garment at that price no matter what. is needed to produce it, however, the garment worker in this country is doing very well in terms of standard of living due largely to the efforts of people like Mr.

Patofsky and Mr. Davinsky of the Ilgwu and the workers of merged clothing and others who have taken what There was a very poor standard in the industry, not long ago in 1911, the great fire in New York. Today, these workers are prosperous members of the community and the price my wife pays for a Garmin today gets a much better piece of clothing. and then what your mother once had at a lower price, so this argument that the farmer has to comply with the dictates of the chain store leaves me quite cold, the migrant farm worker occupies the lowest level of any major group in the American economy.

The soil has not produced Samuel Gompers or John Lewis as Labor Secretary. Mitchell States. I think the AFL-CIO in the past was too concerned with other issues and probably the agricultural problem was so difficult that they were reluctant to address it, I think. Their attitude and policies have changed and they are now making a greater effort to organize than ever before. However, they are excluded from all federal legislation designed to protect the rights of those involved in interstate commerce to organize and bargain collectively. In 1959, the afl cio set aside one hundred thousand dollars in an effort to organize California fruit pickers, one of California's largest producers was asked what he thought of this effort to organize fruit pickers.

I believe that their lack of progress and their lack of success in recruiting members has shown that the type of industrial union they represent has no place or application in agriculture. Schumann, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, was asked how his organization felt about unions. I believe that agricultural workers should have the right to change jobs, freedom to move, freedom to quit if they don't like it, freedom to protest, freedom to negotiate or organize, but the right to strike at harvest time should be regulated in some way. way the organizing committee of the lcio af in california thinks differently earlier this year they called a cherry picker strike meeting in the summer of stockton and the salary has been too low a meeting reminiscent of the days of organizing of the automobile and steel sectors in the 1930s we remain as one or we fail we keep our hand on the dollar an official of the organizing committee his negotiating committee met with representatives of the cherry industry for the first time in In the history of the agriculture, set a minimum of 110 per 16-quart bucket for a good and average harvest.

Now some contractors and producers will try to reduce that minimum price. They will say they can't afford to pay 110 a bucket for the big crop. harvest that are squeezed but the chrysler imperial needs fixing or the junior thunderbird is in the blink of an eye now it's up to you and the rest of the pickers is your program represents a united action sure you can get a job but if you can't live What do you earn? What is the use of work? You make about five or ten dollars today and tomorrow you're just looking for work and they're left on the street looking for work.

What are local people supposed to do? We live anywhere in a tent. under the shade of a tree under the river bridge we drink water from a stream or from any place we can get it five or six families drink from a cup, a can or whatever else we can blame, we tolerate those things if we keep united and say we win Don't do it, we won't pick up your chairs until you give us some bathrooms in the field for the ladies and some for the men and some drinking water, we won't pick them up, we'll get them the fruits of the earth.

Being harvested to feed and sustain humanity What do you have to show for the harvest since the harvest began? We have barely made any expenses but we have established a balance. Keep your hand on the dollar and dimes for each cube. The question posed by thoughtful men. The two or three million immigrants who help feed their fellow Americans need to work, travel, and live in conditions that undermine the dignity of Man. Howard Van Smith received a Pulitzer Prize for his series of articles on migrant labor in the Miami News says this. He knew it then. nothing about the situation of migrants four or five years ago I knew that there were migrant camps but for me a migrant was just a person who worked on a farm after seeing what I have, I am sure that I will dedicate the rest of my life to do what little I can to help solve this problem Secretary of Labor James Mitchell says I feel sad I feel sad because I think it is a blood on my conscience as well as the conscience of all of us who society has treated a little more favorably that these people do not have a voice in the legislative halls they certainly do not have a voice in congress and their employers do have a voice their employers are highly organized and make their wishes and terms and conditions known to our legislators I do not know of any lobbying greater pressure called in Washington than the farm group on every issue in which I am interested I have been more frustrated than in any other sphere of activity as secretary of labor by my inability to make any impact in the terms of the regulations or laws that would help agricultural workers and the pressures from agricultural groups are tremendous.

We guarantee the farmer that there will be no loss in certain crops. The farmer likes to participate in the larger government, but Lord, let him help people like me. Who dares to suggest that maybe the government should do something about the workers who work on farms? It seems to me that in our kind of country we no longer discuss the idea that a man is worthy of his wages, a fair day's work for a fair wage after all, uh, the employers of this country and, indeed, the workers They are part of our, uh, our way of life and, uh, uh, it is morally wrong, it seems to me, for any man, any employer, to exploit his workers in these times.

I do not believe that we should tolerate it as a citizen in or out of this position. I propose to continue raising my voice until the country recognizes that it has the obligation to do something for them and while men of good will seek to write the injustice of the migrant, the lonely wanderer, the outcast. is stuck in the gutter now it's november the last of the workers in trucks, buses and cars approach the southern states to begin the cycle again the sunshine state welcomes them back homestead immokalee pahokee belgrade and hundreds of others communities this is the home there are new homes available the rent is 15 per room per week the migrant is at the mercy of the weather this year in florida there was a frost that killed the beans tomatoes celery corn its byproduct was a row of bread the farm workers Immigrants are not eligible for unemployment insurance this happened in the United States in 1960 a line of humans waiting for a ration of canned milk and bread the secretary of labor says for the rest of my life in or out of office I propose to do something for them A hardened journalist says that for the rest of my life I will do what little I can to help, but perhaps Julian Griggs, a chaplain to immigrants, speaks for us all.

Is it possible to have love without justice? Is it possible that we think too much in terms of charity in terms of gratitude for giving day baskets in terms of Christmas baskets and not enough in terms of eliminating poverty immigrants are back in Belle Glade winter quarters after months of travel and work one said he brought a dollar and 65 cents another said six dollars another said we were broke even we were broke when we went broke when we came back we asked what they thought they could do to help themselves and they didn't say anything what we can make last week a presidential committee made up of the secretaries of labor, agriculture, interior and health, welfare and education made certain recommendations regarding migrants here are some of them extend child labor laws to cover agricultural workers eliminate residency requirements to make migrants eligible for health and wellness education programs a federal law requiring crew leaders to register, thereby protecting immigrants from exploitation extension of workers' compensation laws to agriculture new housing regulations states will pay local school boards for the education of immigrant children of course there will be opposition to these recommendations too much government interference too expensive socialism similar proposals have been made before in In fact, 150 different attempts have been made in Congress to do something about it of the difficult situation of immigrants.

All but one have failed. Immigrants do not have a lobby. Only an enlightened, awakened and perhaps angry public opinion can do anything about immigrants. The people you have seen have the power. strength to harvest their fruits and vegetables they do not have the strength to influence legislation perhaps we have a good night and good luck the harvest of shame has been brought to them tonight by philip morris incorporated manufacturer of unfiltered flavored marlborough filter cigarettes CBS Reports Harvest Shame was filmed and edited by CBS Reports staff under the supervision and control of CBS News You.