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Now more than ever, it's clear the U.S. needs a $15 per hour minimum wage and universal health care. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Thank Farmers and Grocery Workers for Their Service
Our national security depends on those workers who feed us. They deserve a living wage and health care.
Apr 01, 2020
As a veteran of the U.S. Army, I'm often thanked for my service. I've never felt comfortable receiving this thanks. To be honest, I'm not proud of my participation in the Iraq War.
But recently, as the initial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the U.S., I was thanked for my service under very different circumstances. This time, I truly appreciated the sentiment.
I work part time at a small farm in upstate New York, harvesting greens, washing vegetables, and packing orders, among other tasks. When a customer came in last week to pick up 25 pounds of carrots, she surprised me by saying, "Our community appreciates your work. Thank you."
When I'm thanked for my service as a veteran, I usually deflect the gesture. But on a chaotic day at the farm preparing orders for over-shopped local grocery stores, that customer's "thank you" felt genuine, and I was grateful.
The current pandemic and economic crisis have made it clear that farmers, grocery workers, and other food producers and distributors perform an indispensable service to our nation. As the COVID-19 death toll rises and many citizens are quarantined, these essential workers leave home to ensure produce gets harvested, food gets packaged, and grocery shelves get stocked. They feed our nation.
Yet these workers are often treated as expendable labor, enduring long hours and poor conditions, while not receiving a living wage or health care benefits. That's unacceptable.
If the mental health of farmers is a measure of how well our national food system is doing, we're in bad shape. The high veteran and service member suicide rate is well-publicized (20 per day). Yet the rate among farm workers exceeds that of veterans. Lack of access to mental health care, partisan battles over the farm bill, tariffs, and crippling debt are all contributing factors.
Another thing to consider is that Mexican farm workers, tens of thousands of whom travel to the U.S. every year on work visas, form the backbone of our food production system. Without these workers, farm production would suffer significantly. Yet racism and discrimination towards Mexicans is rampant in the U.S., in no small part fueled by President Trump's rhetoric. That's hypocritical.
In these difficult times, we ought to say "thank you" to food producers and distributors for providing a life-sustaining service to our country. But more than that, we ought to thank them by ensuring they're paid a living wage and can go to the hospital without going bankrupt.
Now more than ever, it's clear the U.S. needs a $15 per hour minimum wage and universal health care. While we're at it, we ought to de-fund and dismantle Trump's ineffective and racist border wall and instead work to fix immigration policy, providing a clear path to U.S. citizenship for those who seek to live and work here.
Our national security depends on those workers who feed us. We ought to give them the support they deserve.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This column was distributed by OtherWords.
Kevin Basl
Kevin Basl is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. He's also an instructor for Combat Paper NJ and Warrior Writers, two veteran-focused arts organizations.
As a veteran of the U.S. Army, I'm often thanked for my service. I've never felt comfortable receiving this thanks. To be honest, I'm not proud of my participation in the Iraq War.
But recently, as the initial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the U.S., I was thanked for my service under very different circumstances. This time, I truly appreciated the sentiment.
I work part time at a small farm in upstate New York, harvesting greens, washing vegetables, and packing orders, among other tasks. When a customer came in last week to pick up 25 pounds of carrots, she surprised me by saying, "Our community appreciates your work. Thank you."
When I'm thanked for my service as a veteran, I usually deflect the gesture. But on a chaotic day at the farm preparing orders for over-shopped local grocery stores, that customer's "thank you" felt genuine, and I was grateful.
The current pandemic and economic crisis have made it clear that farmers, grocery workers, and other food producers and distributors perform an indispensable service to our nation. As the COVID-19 death toll rises and many citizens are quarantined, these essential workers leave home to ensure produce gets harvested, food gets packaged, and grocery shelves get stocked. They feed our nation.
Yet these workers are often treated as expendable labor, enduring long hours and poor conditions, while not receiving a living wage or health care benefits. That's unacceptable.
If the mental health of farmers is a measure of how well our national food system is doing, we're in bad shape. The high veteran and service member suicide rate is well-publicized (20 per day). Yet the rate among farm workers exceeds that of veterans. Lack of access to mental health care, partisan battles over the farm bill, tariffs, and crippling debt are all contributing factors.
Another thing to consider is that Mexican farm workers, tens of thousands of whom travel to the U.S. every year on work visas, form the backbone of our food production system. Without these workers, farm production would suffer significantly. Yet racism and discrimination towards Mexicans is rampant in the U.S., in no small part fueled by President Trump's rhetoric. That's hypocritical.
In these difficult times, we ought to say "thank you" to food producers and distributors for providing a life-sustaining service to our country. But more than that, we ought to thank them by ensuring they're paid a living wage and can go to the hospital without going bankrupt.
Now more than ever, it's clear the U.S. needs a $15 per hour minimum wage and universal health care. While we're at it, we ought to de-fund and dismantle Trump's ineffective and racist border wall and instead work to fix immigration policy, providing a clear path to U.S. citizenship for those who seek to live and work here.
Our national security depends on those workers who feed us. We ought to give them the support they deserve.
Kevin Basl
Kevin Basl is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. He's also an instructor for Combat Paper NJ and Warrior Writers, two veteran-focused arts organizations.
As a veteran of the U.S. Army, I'm often thanked for my service. I've never felt comfortable receiving this thanks. To be honest, I'm not proud of my participation in the Iraq War.
But recently, as the initial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the U.S., I was thanked for my service under very different circumstances. This time, I truly appreciated the sentiment.
I work part time at a small farm in upstate New York, harvesting greens, washing vegetables, and packing orders, among other tasks. When a customer came in last week to pick up 25 pounds of carrots, she surprised me by saying, "Our community appreciates your work. Thank you."
When I'm thanked for my service as a veteran, I usually deflect the gesture. But on a chaotic day at the farm preparing orders for over-shopped local grocery stores, that customer's "thank you" felt genuine, and I was grateful.
The current pandemic and economic crisis have made it clear that farmers, grocery workers, and other food producers and distributors perform an indispensable service to our nation. As the COVID-19 death toll rises and many citizens are quarantined, these essential workers leave home to ensure produce gets harvested, food gets packaged, and grocery shelves get stocked. They feed our nation.
Yet these workers are often treated as expendable labor, enduring long hours and poor conditions, while not receiving a living wage or health care benefits. That's unacceptable.
If the mental health of farmers is a measure of how well our national food system is doing, we're in bad shape. The high veteran and service member suicide rate is well-publicized (20 per day). Yet the rate among farm workers exceeds that of veterans. Lack of access to mental health care, partisan battles over the farm bill, tariffs, and crippling debt are all contributing factors.
Another thing to consider is that Mexican farm workers, tens of thousands of whom travel to the U.S. every year on work visas, form the backbone of our food production system. Without these workers, farm production would suffer significantly. Yet racism and discrimination towards Mexicans is rampant in the U.S., in no small part fueled by President Trump's rhetoric. That's hypocritical.
In these difficult times, we ought to say "thank you" to food producers and distributors for providing a life-sustaining service to our country. But more than that, we ought to thank them by ensuring they're paid a living wage and can go to the hospital without going bankrupt.
Now more than ever, it's clear the U.S. needs a $15 per hour minimum wage and universal health care. While we're at it, we ought to de-fund and dismantle Trump's ineffective and racist border wall and instead work to fix immigration policy, providing a clear path to U.S. citizenship for those who seek to live and work here.
Our national security depends on those workers who feed us. We ought to give them the support they deserve.
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