Agricultural labor is generally characterized as
seasonal, migratory and often only obtained through third party "labor
contractors." This system creates a situation where families are not permanently
attached to communities and children can not adequately attend school.
T&D Willey Farms has developed over many seasons a year-round
production system unique to our region. By farming and harvesting in four seasons we can
permanently employ 55 persons full-time year-round on 75 acres. This permanent work force
offers many advantages. We have a more highly trained and experienced work force on the
farm who care about the quality of what they produce.
|
 |
 |
We enjoy employing hard working people who take
pride in what they do. We strive to maintain a non-coercive, non-toxic work place. Farm
labor is hard work, and those who perform it do not receive adequate compensation or
respect. The improvements we have made on our farm, though modest, are not generally
available to farm laborers. Our farm is known in the area as a "good" place to
work, and we are able to attract a high caliber work force as a result. |
While earning only minimum wage, our
staff enjoy annual incomes roughly twice that of the average California farm worker.
Year-round employment enables them to become stable members of our community.
Educational
opportunities of children are enhanced when their families have steady employment. After
earning a permanent position on the farm they become eligible for an annual bonus and paid
vacation.
|
 |
We are very thankful for the quality of
employees we have. When you purchase our produce you can play a part in providing a better
livelihood to farm workers and we hope you appreciate the important role they play in
putting food on our tables.
|
Wasting Resources Means
Wasting People
We cannot heal the country's social wounds or "save" the environment as long as
we cling to the outdated industrial assumptions that the summum bonum of commercial
enterprise is to use more stuff and fewer people. Our thinking is backward: We shouldn't
use more of what we have less of (natural capital) to use less of what we have more of
(people). While our need to maintain high labor productivity is critical to income and
economic well-being, labor productivity that corrodes society is like burning the
furniture to heat the house. --Paul Hawken, "Mother Jones," March/April '97 |
|
