Challenges and Opportunities for Hispanic Dairy Workers and theirEmployers

摘要

The predominance of Hispanic workers in the U.S. dairy industry is a relatively new development. In the mid-1990s, dairy farmers in the upper Midwest and the Northeast began to hire workers from Mexico and Guatemala to fill milking and other general labor positions. While some Southern and Western states already employed Hispanic workers, the trend accelerated in those states as well. Prior to the shift to Hispanic workers, dairy employers were often frustrated by the amount of turnover in entry-level positions as well as the difficulties of finding employees interested in dairy work. As more dairy managers began to hire Hispanic workers they discovered that the workers were motivated, reliable, and had a very strong work ethic. Most managers did not speak Spanish and the new employees often spoke very little English. The new workers often needed housing provided by the farm and few had driver's licenses or their own vehicle. In addition, there were obvious cultural and societal differences.