What Harvest for the Reaper - Production & Contact Info (original) (raw)

This program shows the exploitation of migrant workers, who endure deplorable working and living conditions and unfair treatment from crew chiefs and farmers in exchange for meager wages. It begins with a crew chief named Andrew Anderson ...See moreThis program shows the exploitation of migrant workers, who endure deplorable working and living conditions and unfair treatment from crew chiefs and farmers in exchange for meager wages. It begins with a crew chief named Andrew Anderson recruiting unemployed men in Arkansas to harvest crops in a migrant labor camp in Long Island, N.Y., by promising them good wages and decent accommodations. The film depicts the camp's unsanitary conditions and the dishonest tactics used by Anderson and the landowners to cheat the men financially. The harvesting process, ranging from long hours of "stoop labor" in the fields to packaging the crops for shipment and sale, is examined. Interviews with farmers, workers and crew chiefs present their grievances, the camp minister criticizes the system, and a representative of the Suffolk County Department of Health explains the regulations that apply to migrant labor. The film shows that the problems stem from ineffective labor unions and relaxed New York State health regulations, and stresses the need for wage, health, and housing reforms for migrant workers.See less