Blog 2, Post A: Shipler, Ch. 4: Migrant Workers

(My cousin Jerry, he's a migrant worker who lives in Washington and picks all the Washington apples that we American's enjoy.  He gets a meager wage, and sends most of his money back home to our family.)

For this post we are to discuss from Shipler's, 'The Working Poor', Chapter 4: how migrant workers are exploited and who benefits from their labor.

There is an array of individuals whom benefit from the labor of migrant workers.  The list starts from the beginning of the migrants' journey; from his family back home to the consumers who enjoy the product that the migrant worker has planted and picked.  The family of a migrant worker benefits the most because they receive anywhere from half to 3/4 of the money earned.  Migrant workers usually have one goal to coming to the U.S. and that is to make money to support their family back home to their native land.  They think that by sending money, it will help their family out of poverty or at the very least meet their daily needs to survive.  My personal opinion is for the families on the receiving end to invest in the money wisely so that they are able to support themselves instead of waiting each month for their loved one to keep sending them money to just spend.

Others who benefit from the migrants' journey include the coyote, the one who smuggles the worker and sometimes his/her spouse across the border.  Most people don't have the complete 'fee' to cross, making themselves indebted to the coyote with promises to pay with their earned labor wages.  Then the migrant must find work to send money to family back home and now to pay the coyote for his services.  In comes the 'contratista' or the contractor, the middle man who is in charge of acquiring workers for the farmers who require labor in their fields.  Without migrant workers, the farmers would not be able to meet the demands of its customers, the markets and corporations who purchase their product.  Lastly, it is us, the consumers of these products, who benefit from the labor of migrant workers, without them we would have no produce to eat, to survive.

Migrant workers are easily exploited because they aren't looked at as people, just temporary workers.  They are over-worked 12-14 hours a day, before sunrise till after sunset.  They are not offered benefits for working, such as health or workers comp.  They are paid per box of produce filled and how much they earn is based on how hard, fast and accurately they are willing to work.  Because they are not looked at as people with souls and feelings, they are treated as dispensable commodities.  They are housed in terrible conditions; like cattle, they are grouped and confined in a small space with hardly any heating and working plumbing.  They are made to sleep in unsanitary, in-humane conditions.  

The contractor's and farmer's exploit these migrant workers because they know that they have nowhere else to go and they (the workers) fear deportation.  Most migrant workers want only to work and don't want to cause any problems, they are aware that there are others in line to take their place in the field, so they work to the bone, they take the abuse, they live in shoddy conditions because this is the price they have to pay so that their families back home can eat and have clothes on their backs and medicine for their ailments.

Unfortunately, I believe there is no end to this cycle.  We need people to work the fields, so that we can eat and feed our own families.  No 'average' American is going to take a job that requires so much labor for pennies on the dollar.  No farmer is going to pay at the very least minimum wage to a worker to harvest the crops. The only thing we can do is to advocate for better working conditions for these workers.  We need to put a face to these workers, like my cousin Jerry.  He is a human, with feelings, with desires to provide a better life for his daughter.  He is only 27 but the lines on his face and the callouses on his hands show otherwise.

Shipler, D. (2005). The Working Poor: Invisible in America. New York: Vintage Books

Blog #2, Post C: Review of Two Fellow Classmate's Blogs

This assignment entails me to critique 2 out of 23 fellow student's blogs. I randomly chose these two students because I cannot put a face to their names and it will be easier for me to critique  their blogs because I have no personal connection to them.  Hopefully they won't take it personally, this assignment is only for the purpose to suggest improvements to their blogs.

Student/ Blog Name: Jessica @ Justice395.wordpress.               
Read on 10/7/2013

• Esthetically speaking what I like about Jessica's blog is her choice of colors and format.  She chose colors that are easy on the eyes and appealing.  The format she chose also makes her blog easy to read, i.e. there is a flow to her posts.  
• What I would suggest to Jessica to improve her blog would be to connect direct links to the articles that she mentions on her posts.  I did notice one link, but the other posts did not include them, making it harder for the viewer to understand what her topic is about.  Also, in using the links, I would advice her to cite her sources.
• I would also suggest that she mentions the title of the book from our class and properly cite the information that she used from the book.
• There were a few grammar errors, which are one of my biggest pet peeves (which is why I'm seriously considering a career as a Copy Editor) such as using 'there' instead of 'their'.
• For Post D, we were to state what we thought should be the legal definition of poverty, instead Jessica gave a legal definition as defined by businessdictionary.com.  I would have loved to have read her opinion on that because she made a great statement based on her personal definition of poverty.
• Lastly, I would have liked to have read more of her personal thoughts and opinions with each post.  It appears that the work submitted met just the minimum requirement in terms of sustenance to her blog. 

Student/ Blog Name: Alex @ hh395.wordpress.                         
Read on 10/15/2013

• I enjoyed Alex's Blog.  He followed instructions as to the format requirements that the Professor requested.  He titled his post's accordingly and also gave more information as to what to expect to read on each post, i.e. 'Poverty in Illinois' and 'Definition of poverty' instead of leaving it plain like Blog 1, Post B, etc...
• Esthetically, I would only change the background color of the Blog, black is a great color, one of my personal favorites, but for me it puts a strain on the eye.
• I enjoyed the extra details that were included in the Blog such as videos and pictures.  It makes the Blog come to life and shows that he cares what he puts into it.
• The only other suggestion to better improve his Blog would be to break up his excessive paragraphs.  Ideally, paragraphs should be no more than 4 to 5 sentences and it gives the reader a break to process all that is being read.  A long paragraph could cause someone to just skim through it and not really absorb the information.
• Other than that Alex's Blog is a great example of a great Blog.

Blog 2, Post D: Service Project.

In keeping with our class curriculum for Hunger & Homelessness, as a student we are to be exposed to the subject matter via variety of perspectives.  Not only through class discussions, videos, research and this blog, but also through volunteer work with an at-risk population.  

This is were my service project comes in. With my professor's blessing, I propose to volunteer at the Common Food Pantry (http://commonpantry.org ) every Wednesday for five (5) weeks, starting Oct 9th for four (4) hours each day/time.  After speaking to Scott, the Program Director, I learned that I will be assisting with restocking of food items and will interact with clients during the food distribution hours, and they will also utilize my administrative skills in their office.

I learned that the Common Pantry has two food distribution sessions, one in the early afternoon (1pm) and one in the evening (6pm).  I will be of service in between those hours to help restock the shelves with food donations from the Greater Chicago Food Depository and from other vendors like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.  The food pantry has a point's system for their clients: according to their website, "During the distribution, clients living within our service boundaries receive a well-rounded assortment of food items.  The first step is the shopping experience, where clients can choose items they prefer or are in specific need of by using “points.”  Points are allotted based on the number of individuals in the household."  Their mission statement further explains this point systems: "We strongly believe this unique shopping experience makes the Common Pantry special. It returns the human dignity of choice; something many of us take for granted when we visit our local grocery store."

I get really excited whenever the opportunity presents itself for me to be able to 'give back'.  I mentioned briefly in one of my earlier posts about my own situation when I found myself with my children in line at a food pantry in Rogers Park.  I knew from my early childhood, that food pantries existed; mine was located at my local church in Pilsen.  I never thought of it as shameful or needy because most of our neighbors were all in the same situation.  In my young eyes, it was just another local gathering of friends with an added bonus of leaving with bags of food.  Fast forward to my young adult years, and my perception had changed.  I stood in that line in Rogers Park with shame and need because I was unable to provide for my young children.  Thinking about it right now, I sympathize with my step-father and though he might have felt shame, I'm grateful that he had courage and put his pride aside to be able to accept the food and feed his children, instead of letting us go into starvation.  Because even with the government food from the pantries; the block of cheese, powder milk and cans of spaguetti-os, and with the school meals, there were still times that we went hungry.

Blog #1, Post H: Woman of Chapter 2

Assignment: to discuss one of the women in Chapter 2 and why can't she get out of poverty.

The woman I chose to discuss is Debra Hall.   She is a 39 year old mother on welfare forced to work because the welfare reform act of 1996 imposed time limits to receive benefits and work requirements were enforced to either get a job or do job training.  Debra admitted that she had no real life skills and had dropped out of community college.  She was a teen mom at 18 years old who has been on welfare ever since.  Debra opted for job training and because she limited herself based on her comfort level of clothing, she chose warehouse work. In the program, Debra learned to type, operate the UPS shipping system and drove a forklift.  For the first time in her life, Debra felt motivated and felt part of the working force.  

Some of the reasons that she cannot escape poverty is because she lacks reliable transportation to get to work. Another being, that even though she has gained some basic work skills and forklift certification, there is no job openings where she can apply her skills.  Mostly men dominate warehouse positions.  Another reason is she is trapped in a low wage job in a bakery with no promotion/advancement opportunities.

While working at the bakery, her position was unstable, her hours were shifted, and she was put in machines with no proper training.  This caused her anxiety and stress.  Also, she didn't receive any support or advice when she inquired about trying to advance in her job.

In the end, Debra continued working in the bakery despite her minimum wage, no advancement opportunity, and work related stress. "Her fellow workers in the bakery were trapped in gloom.  Nothing there encouraged her",  her own employers warned her about staying too long in the job.

Shipler, D. (2005). The Working Poor: Invisible in America. New York: Vintage Books.

Blog #1, Post G: Shipler Chapter 1

Using Chapter 1, I am to discuss one of the many ways businesses use legal means to take advantage of poor people.

Chapter 1 discusses the legal business of tax preparers such as H & R Block,  who legally take advantage of the poor by misrepresenting their business tactics in 'helping' the poor.  "Tax time in poor neighborhoods is not April.  It is January."  I cannot lie, I can't wait till January 30th myself.  That is the date that employers are supposed to have mailed out your W-2's.  Our family usually receives the W-2's before the end of January and we run to our tax preparer.  We look forward to our Earned Income Tax Credit and most of the time it is spent before we actually get the deposit to our account.  Mostly we catch up on bills, splurge a little for ourselves and kids and replace whatever is broken in the house.  

Shipler uses H & R Block as an example but I think it is safe to say that their tactics are used nationwide by all tax preparers.  Tax preparers set up shop mostly in low-income neighborhoods, hire teenagers to dress up in costumes to remind the working class that it is that time of the year again. Time to file!  The problem Shipler highlights in this business is not that it is illegal to operate, but they fail to properly inform customers of their rights, and responsibilities.  They mask words like 'loan' to rapid refund.  I admit I was duped once myself.  Like those commercials on TV say "It's my money and I need it NOW".  I wanted my money now, and when they said "Did you know you can get a rapid refund in three days rather than waiting six to eight weeks for it?".  My response, sign me up now! I didn't care about the legal garble, all i understood was that i had a right to get my money soon rather than later.  It wasn't until I got home and stopped fantasizing about the shopping sprees, that I sat down and read what I signed up for.  They charged me an exaggerated loan rate, but I didn't sign up for a loan.  I went back the next day and asked for an explanation.  The word 'loan' magically appeared behind rapid refund.  I was so furious for being lied to, but they tried to comfort me by reminding me that my money would be there the next day.  After that tax year, I never signed up for a rapid refund, I rather have that extra $300 later in six weeks than not to have it all.  For the record, I've never waited more than 2 weeks to receive my tax refund.

Shipler discusses that people can do what these tax preparers  do as well, with a little time, patience, basic math skills and a calculator.  While I agree, most people like myself hate math, much less calculating something so risky like a tax refund.  Like 'Evon Johnson' in the chapter, I do not have the courage to do taxes myself in fear of being audited by the IRS, and I would rather pay someone else who knows what they are doing and have them be responsible for whatever mistake IRS finds.  

So these tax preparers take advantage of the poor by not being honest and upfront about their practices in phrasing and masking the words 'rapid refund'.  Even after Federal judges were involved and "ordered Block to stop using the misleading term 'rapid refund' in advertising loans", "Block continued with the ads by redefining 'rapid refunds' as a reference to electronic filing only."  After numerous class-action lawsuits were filed, "H & R Block agreed to a $25 million settlement without admitting any wrongdoing." 

Shipler, D. (2005). The Working Poor: Invisible in America. New York: Vintage Books.

Blog #1, Post F: Shipler Intro

Posts F, G, and H are my responses to questions our Professor assigned based on our readings from the book "The Working Poor" written by David K. Shipler.

 

The question to answer on this Post (F) is to discuss the components necessary to keep someone from ending up in poverty according to Shipler.

First, let's look at what Mr. Shipler has to say. On page 4 of the introduction section, Shipler states that "A set of skills, a good starting wage, and a job with the likelihood of promotion are prerequisites. But so are clarity of purpose, courageous self-esteem, a lack of substantial debt, the freedom from illness or addiction, a functional family, a network of upstanding friends, and the right help from private or governmental agencies."  

Shipler continues by stating that "Any gap in that array is an entry point for trouble, because being poor means being unprotected."  "With no cushion of money, no training in the ways of the wider world, and too little defense against the threats and temptations of decaying communities,a poor man or woman gets sacked again and again."  And then he caps it off by saying that "When an exception breaks this cycle of failure, it is called the fulfillment of the American Dream."

 I can't exactly count how many articles regarding poverty I have poured over in the last weeks, they all paint a fairly accurate description of what life is like for the poor.  The average American can't be blinded by our surroundings out in the real world;  poverty is everywhere, especially in a big city like Chicago.  What many articles fail to suggest is ideas or thoughts as to combat the problem.  Seems to me, we think that the problem is out of our hands and too big to conquer.  We are told that we can do something about it, donate, volunteer, write a stern letter to your local officials, etc, etc.  Is this enough? No. Personally, these are band-aid solutions, and I agree, it's better than doing nothing at all.  But like a sickness that plagues us, we have to understand why it is that this happens.  What is the root of the problem, what are some preventive measures.  We can suggest and suggest solutions till we turn blue, the problem is most of the time, our suggestions like Shipler's fall unto deaf ears.  If people are unwilling, too lazy to change and not better themselves, then all this hard work is for nothing.

Back to Shipler's components,  are they realistic?  I think so, and looking back through my own life when I was dirt poor, I can see how it would have helped my situation way back when.  First, people do need a good set of skills, at the very least basic skills to get a decent job.  A good set of skills would be better though, because then you aren't limited to just a decent job, you'd have more options.  With that better job, you'd expect to make a better starting wage.  A good wage makes a world of a difference than the meager minimum-wage Illinois has to offer.  Though from my readings, Illinois has the highest level of minimum wage in the mid-western states, but the cost of living in Chicago is higher than our neighbors.  Now that we have a decent better paying job, it would help to be able to have something to look forward to, like a promotion or advancement opportunities within the company or applying those newly learned skills to find a better job.  This all makes sense.  The reality is those decent jobs are a handful, because they require some sort of higher education degree or certificate.

What I like about Shipler, is that he goes a little further, he's trying to expose the root of the problem.  You can have all those blessings, as I like to call them, but if you don't have your mind right, if you don't want better for yourself,  and lack a "clarity of purpose", than you'll fall back into the trap.  What I mean about 'getting your mind right' is this, one has to acknowledge the predicament they are in, be willing to do something about it, and restructuring their priorities to get to that fabled 'American Dream'.  It is ultimately the choices that we make that get us to where we are at.  Obviously no one chooses to be poor, cause if they did, their mind isn't right, right? 

In a perfect world, we all would have minimal debt, be super healthy with no addictions, a functional family and a network of upstanding friends who want the best for us.  I'm not saying these goals are not attainable, but are there people who live like this?  If so, I would like to meet them and live a day in their world.

Shipler, D. (2005). The Working Poor: Invisible in America. New York: Vintage Books.

Blog #1, Post C: Poverty Level in Illinois Regarding Housing in Chicago

Housing and homelessness go hand in hand.  Without proper housing options including rental property, subsidized housing and shelters; people, alone or with families will be homeless.  According to a "study by the Social IMPACT Research Center of Chicago’s Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, 1 in 3 people in Illinois" live in or near poverty, which includes 1 out of every 5 children.  Unfortunately those numbers are predicted to continue to rise.  The current poverty rate is at "33% and that figure is up from 25 percent of Illinoisans who lived in or near poverty in 2000. In 1990, it was 27%; in 1980, 26%". (1)

Homelessness has always been an issue in every major city in America, but since the economic turn-down that started in 2008, the numbers of homeless continue to steadily increase.  As people started loosing their homes, and statewide budget cuts eliminated funding to the Department of Human Services and organizations that aid the homeless, more and more people with families have been out in the street. In Chicago, the problem worsened among those already living in poverty when Mayor Daley & Mayor Emanuel decided to revamp public housing in an effort to beautify the city and reduce crime in poverty ridden neighborhoods.  "Since the mid-’90s, when cities across the country began systematically tearing down their high-rise housing projects, more than 150,000 units of public housing have been lost."  Here in Chicago, the city tore down the Cabrini Green projects, Robert Taylor homes, and various other public housing.  Most of the people were given section 8 housing vouchers, while others were kicked out the program and were forced to either move in with friends or relatives or end up in the street.  (2)

Funding for shelters have also decreased.  According to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, "since 2012, Chicago reported having 1,329 emergency shelter beds available, down 44% from the 2,379 beds the city reported in 2011". The problem spreads across the state of Illinois with about "48,000 people utilizing state funded shelters each year". (3)  

How do we solve the homelessness problem when families are removed from their homes and banks are not willing to negotiate fair repayment options for their loans? Where are those who are already in public housing and have their homes demolished supposed to go? What are the options for those who depend on shelter beds if they are decreasing each year, and have no family support, no government support, and are already living in the street?  We all can acknowledge that there is a problem, the question is are we doing enough to fix it.  Our government is already cash strapped for other human service needs and they can only do so much with what they have, while many buildings, apartments and houses continue to be boarded up and unused.  I am not pretending to have an answer, or even a suggestion, but we cannot continue to turn blindly and ignore the problem in hopes of it fixing itself.  It is not until we or someone who is close to us, is in that predicament that we feel compelled to do something.

  (1)  Ihejirika, M.  (1.15.2013). 1 in 3 Illinoisans lives in or near poverty level: Report.  The Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved from http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/17597167-418/1-in-3-illinoisans-lives-in-or-near-poverty-level-report.html. 

(2)  Austen, B. (5.29.2013) The Death and Life of Chicago.  The New York Times.  Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/magazine/how-chicagos-housing-crisis-ignited-a-new-form-of-activism.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

(3)  2013. The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. FAQ/Studies. Retrieved from http://www.chicagohomeless.org/faq-studies/

In 2012, Chicago also reported having 1,329 emergency shelter beds available, down 44% from the 2,379 the city reported in 2011. It also reported 3,421 transitional housing beds, up 46% from 2,334 in 2011, and 9,377 permanent supportive housing slots, up 3% from 9,109 slots reported a year earlier. - See more at: http://www.chicagohomeless.org/faq-studies/#sthash.nQdjl9vs.dpuf

In 2012, Chicago also reported having 1,329 emergency shelter beds available, down 44% from the 2,379 the city reported in 2011. It also reported 3,421 transitional housing beds, up 46% from 2,334 in 2011, and 9,377 permanent supportive housing slots, up 3% from 9,109 slots reported a year earlier. - See more at: http://www.chicagohomeless.org/faq-studies/#sthash.nQdjl9vs.dpuf

In 2012, Chicago also reported having 1,329 emergency shelter beds available, down 44% from the 2,379 the city reported in 2011. It also reported 3,421 transitional housing beds, up 46% from 2,334 in 2011, and 9,377 permanent supportive housing slots, up 3% from 9,109 slots reported a year earlier. - See more at: http://www.chicagohomeless.org/faq-studies/#sthash.nQdjl9vs.dpuf

In 2012, Chicago also reported having 1,329 emergency shelter beds available, down 44% from the 2,379 the city reported in 2011. It also reported 3,421 transitional housing beds, up 46% from 2,334 in 2011, and 9,377 permanent supportive housing slots, up 3% from 9,109 slots reported a year earlier. - See more at: http://www.chicagohomeless.org/faq-studies/#sthash.nQdjl9vs.dpuf

In 2012, Chicago also reported having 1,329 emergency shelter beds available, down 44% from the 2,379 the city reported in 2011. It also reported 3,421 transitional housing beds, up 46% from 2,334 in 2011, and 9,377 permanent supportive housing slots, up 3% from 9,109 slots reported a year earlier. - See more at: http://www.chicagohomeless.org/faq-studies/#sthash.nQdjl9vs.dpuf

In 2012, Chicago also reported having 1,329 emergency shelter beds available, down 44% from the 2,379 the city reported in 2011. It also reported 3,421 transitional housing beds, up 46% from 2,334 in 2011, and 9,377 permanent supportive housing slots, up 3% from 9,109 slots reported a year earlier. - See more at: http://www.chicagohomeless.org/faq-studies/#sthash.nQdjl9vs.dpuf

In 2012, Chicago also reported having 1,329 emergency shelter beds available, down 44% from the 2,379 the city reported in 2011. It also reported 3,421 transitional housing beds, up 46% from 2,334 in 2011, and 9,377 permanent supportive housing slots, up 3% from 9,109 slots reported a year earlier. - See more at: http://www.chicagohomeless.org/faq-studies/#sthash.nQdjl9vs.dpuf