 |
|
|
|||||
On Friday, January 10, four men worked quickly in a cold storage facility in Downtown Los Angeles, loading a van with vegetables. The normally chatty crew were nearly silent as they transferred potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, cabbage, greens, and other produce that they had just trucked in from the fields near Bakersfield. The rest of the ordinarily bustling facility, with 20-some loading docks, was empty. The owner of the farm, one of the best-known stars of the L.A. restaurant and farmers market scene, had revealed in an earlier phone call that agents from U.S. Border Patrol had been to the gates of their farm the day before, and many other farms in Bakersfield, looking to detain undocumented workersincluding these men. The farmer asked we not use the name of the farm or any of their longtime workers, because they feared being targeted in an immigration raid. The foreman of the crew working in the warehouse, who is a U.S. citizen, acknowledged hed been on the farm when the agents showed up. Yes, Border Patrol came. I was out there. They didnt pick up any of our people, he said. The foreman asked not to be named to protect the identity of his employer. They came with a lot of trucks? Yeah. Our guys were hiding in the packing shed until they left. On the phone, the farmer was livid. The impact this is going to have on food is crazy, the farmer added. They are visiting everyone. Southern Californias whole food infrastructure. U.S Customs and Border Protection, the agency which includes Border Patrol, acknowledged in a statement that they had sent 60 agents from the El Centro office, more than 300 miles to the south on the Mexico border, to sweep the Bakersfield area for four days as part of Operation Return to Sender. The agency reported arresting 78 people, but others estimated that nearly 1,000 may have been arrested and released. The farmer said there are normally 15-18 people in the fields, but that on January 10 only five showed up. California grows a quarter of all the countrys fresh produce, fruits, and nutsmost of which require hand labor to process, as opposed to automation. Its harvest time for seasonal oranges, mandarins, lemons, and other citrus right now. Trump doesnt want so-called terrorists to come in from other countries, but he wont let our people pick the food we all eat. Where does he think the food is going to come from? the farmer added. The new administration, it seems, should be asking the same question. Rather than seeking to get rid of migrants, the government is likely in the long run to be looking for more of them. California and the United States face a big challenge in the demography of our country and state: For the first time in our history, we have more people retiring than entering the labor force, said Hans Johnson, a demographer with the Public Policy Institute of California. Baby boomers are exiting the labor pool, and younger cohorts that we have given names like Millennials or Gen Z just arent as numerous. The lack of young people in schools across the country from elementary through college has already caused consolidations and closures, a phenomenon Johnson also studies. PPIC reports that California relies on inflows of workers from other states and also immigration to drive its booming economy. So in California, we are home to more immigrants than any other state, and we have a higher share of our population made up of immigrants than any other state, continued Johnson. Immigrants in California, including those who are here either as naturalized citizens or those who have legal permanent status, and those who have unauthorized and temporary status, make up almost one out of every three workers in the state. There are an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 farmworkers in Californiaone-third to one-half of all the farmworkers in the U.S. The office of Gov. Gavin Newsom estimates that 50% of those in California are unauthorized; other estimates are higher. If a significant number of those workers are deported, or even just too scared to work, Johnson said, labor shortages would be serious. Farmers would lose money or go out of business. Tax revenues would fall. Food production would go down. A cascade of supply chain issues would drive up food prices. In fact, this has already happened in recent history: In 2011, both Georgia and Alabama passed laws designed to push undocumented workers out of the state, and crops requiring hand labor, like watermelons and onions, rotted in the fields. The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association reported that 40% of their needed workforce disappeared, and they suffered big economic losses. The Georgia agriculture commissioner said that financial incentives failed to lure other citizens (including criminals on probation) to do this backbreaking work. This is also part of a global and long-term trend: The number of workers is shrinking. According to a 2024 report from University of Washington researchers published in the British medical journal The Lancet, birthrates in the U.S. and most of the developed worldincluding Mexicoare already well below levels required to maintain a stable population, and are projected to continue falling. A total fertility rate (TFR) of 2.1 children for every woman is required to replace an existing population; in 2024, the U.S. had a TFR of 1.84, and Mexicos was around 1.79. The point of the University of Washington study is that the entire developed world is already short of workers, and this will have enormous economic consequences. One solution, offered Johnson, who was not involved in that study, is to allow immigrant workers to come into the United States or certainly to allow immigrant workers who are already here to continue to work. That is, if you can even keep them. The University of Washington study noted that by 2050, over 75% of the countries on Earth, and all of the developed countries, will have falling populations. Workers will be in very high demand. Lead research scientist Natalia V. Bhattacharjee said, These future trends in fertility rates and live births will completely reconfigure the global economy and the international balance of power and will necessitate reorganising societies. Global recognition of the challenges around migration and global aid networks are going to be all the more critical when there is fierce competition for migrants to sustain economic growth. Anticipating the future worker shortage, China and Russia are already deepening economic ties with Africa, where birthrates are still high. Back in the Los Angeles warehouse, the foreman went over the order. The men loaded the produce into the van wth a special urgency, as it was earmarked as free food relief for those who had just lost houses in the Eaton and Palisades fires. Even as they checked off each quantity of potatoes and greens, the fires were still raging. Grocery stores and restaurants and food warehouses had burned to the ground. At LA HomeFarm, the specialty grocery owned by my wife and me, we were using cash donations to buy this food and get it to people who needed it, thus keeping farmers in business and people fed. But the key to all of this is the farmers. Without them, theres no food. The CBP nevertheless targeted L.A.s food system when thousands of homes and businesses were incinerated. Everyone is frightened, and they should be, said the farmer on the phone, as we talked about the next order. No one is going to work. Theyre telling me, Im afraid to go to work. So what do I do? I dont want to be responsible, either, for anyone getting deported. Ana Alicia Huerta, a Bakersfield attorney who works on immigration issues and is part of the Rapid Response Network of Kern County, acknowledged that the Border Patrol actions caused a community panic. The agents turned up at places where Latino people gathered, such as the Mercado Latino, a popular local mall with over 100 shops; Bobby Salazars restaurant; and the Home Depot. They whisked people away to El Centro in buses, and few were able to contact attorneys or support, or even organize a ride home once they were released. Huerta spoke at a Jan. 10 protest rally in Bakersfield that drew hundreds of people, and encouraged the areas immigrant population to share information, so they could rely on facts and not rumors, and to review distributed information about their rights. But if farms are going to keep their workers, she noted, the whole immigration system needs an overhaul. The system, as it is, is just broken, Huerta said. Theres a lot of obstacles put in the way of somebody who really wants to create a new life for themselves here. If, for example, someone in the U.S. with legal status or a green card sponsors a relative through whats called a family petition, they are forced to wait for a visa opening. Which can take as long as 20 years. During that time, the person cannot get married or change important details about their life, or theyll have to start over. And if they get a visa, theres no path to citizenship. The people who try to comply with the rules are regularly punished with fees and forced to wait out political or gang violence, economic collapse or natural disasters. We come from such a great nation of immigrants that I think its worth reevaluating the current system, said Huerta, because, to be honest, its completely bonkers. Dean Kuipers, Capital & Main This piece was originally published by Capital & Main, which reports from California on economic, political, and social issues.
Category:
E-Commerce
We all know the people pleaser in the officethe one who takes on extra work, stays late without being asked, and is at the full disposal of the department manager. They also may agree with whatever the majority says and will dodge conflict, even though they are in the right. But does this mentality pay off? Likely not, say experts. Who exactly is a people pleaser? A people pleaser is someone who abandons their own needs and values to try and make someone else happy, explains Amy Morin, a psychotherapist and the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. While on the surface, you may think this selfless approach will fast-track you at work, however, this mindset can hurt your job success. Heres how: Your ideas won’t be shared: Your rah-rah attitude, or fear of making waves could be a barrier, especially in brainstorming sessions. You may not disagree with anyone or offer different opinions due to fear you might upset someone, says Morin. Plus, this facade could prevent you from speaking your true opinions. You also might agree to things you don’t really believe in, because you fear your ideas might be frowned upon, she says. You won’t demonstrate leadership skills: If you want to advance in your career, its critical to showcase your ability to lead a team. It’s important to be able to say no, and if you can’t, you’re going to go along with bad ideas or you might get talked into doing things that are bad for the company, says Morin. You aren’t likely to be promoted if you look like a doormat. You won’t advocate for yourself: Being a people pleaser can cause you to be afraid to speak up when you need to at work. You won’t ask for a raise, speak up when you’re treated poorly, or ask for what you need, Morin says. If you don’t advocate for yourself, others are likely to surpass you. You dilute the quality of your work: Being a people pleaser can usurp both your time and energy. If you’re always saying ‘yes’ to helping other people, you’ll have less time and energy to devote to your tasks, cautions Morin. The quality of your work is likely to suffer because you’ll be spread too thin. You shield your authenticity: People also don’t get to know the real you when you don’t share your true thoughts or personality. A people pleaser might feel lonely because they don’t get to develop authentic relationships with people, says Morin. You take on others emotional baggage: You don’t have the power to make others feel happyand if you try, you might grow frustrated, says Morin. People pleasers often blame themselves for how other people feel, so you may assume you’re doing something wrong if your efforts aren’t making them happy, she says. You can hinder your own success: People pleasers shy away from difficult conversations about their progress or tend to avoid advocating for their own development, says Michelle Reisdorf, district president at Robert Half in Chicago. This can hinder their career growth and potential opportunities, she says. You dont set healthy boundaries: People-pleasing employees can get stuck with a heavier workload because they dont speak up more when work is unloaded onto them. If someone struggles with setting healthy boundaries, they may end up taking on more work than what is manageable or accepting demands that fall outside their typical responsibilities, says Reisdorf. How can a people pleaser pivot themselves to self-advocacy? It can take a plan and then practice for effective strategies to collaborate and cooperate without people-pleasing, but having the will is the best springboard to turn the page on being a doormat. It might involve finding ways to speak up and say what you need, while recognizing that no one has to give you what you’re asking for, says Morin. She notes it can take planning and practice to get better at collaborating without turning to people-pleasing. But it is possible to improve, says Morin. It might involve finding ways to speak up and say what you need, while recognizing that no one has to give you what you’re asking for. So, if youre uncomfortable speaking up for yourself, start small, advises Morin. Share one idea at every meeting you attend, she suggests. And, when you share ideas often, you’ll see that there will be times when people disagree or dismiss your ideas. The goal is to get more comfortable with that. As you ease into this plan, she acknowledges there will also be times when people really like your ideas and you may find it feels uncomfortable to be the center of attention or to receive praise, but this is part of your growing strategy. Exposing yourself to that feeling will also help you grow more comfortable with it. Another key component of breaking this pattern is to accept that you can’t make everyone happy and sometimes there will be conflict. Disagreements are part of any healthy relationship, and they often lead to better solutions and new strategies, she says. You may need to work on yourself to recognize that you’re still an okay person even if someone disagrees or is angry with you. If you always say yes, set out to say no or disagree at least one time per week, Morin recommends. You’ll see how others react and respond to you when you decline an invitation or express yourself. That can help you see that people aren’t likely to get as upset as you imagined or respond with anger,” Morin says. And if they do get upset, it’s just another opportunity to practice tolerating your discomfort and coping with those feelings. Additionally, setting boundaries can allow people pleasers to feel empowered. This path can lead to more confidence and self-advocacy. Once youve assessed your bandwidth, I recommend discussing it with your manager or a trusted mentor to develop a work plan that establishes clear boundaries and aligns with both your well-being and the teams goals, says Reisdorf with Robert Half. This more measured approach can be liberating and help you avoid project overload. Setting attainable and measurable goals will help guide your efforts, keeping you accountable for your progress while also highlighting areas where you might have the capacity to support others in a more balanced and sustainable way, says Reisdorf.
Category:
E-Commerce
You know you’ve said it. We all have. Mmm, that looks so deliciousI want to try some! That’s because when it comes to what we eat, it’s not just a matter of taste. What foods and drinks look likethe colors we see before the first morsels or sips hit our taste budshave mattered to people for millennia. And nowhere has that been more blatant than the American food palate, where the visual spectrum we choose from includes not only the primary colors but artificial ones that nature couldn’t even dream up. For well over a century, food manufacturers in the United States have used synthetic dyes in their products as part of their production and marketing efforts. Often, it’s been in hopes of making a mass-produced food look as fresh and natural as possible, reminiscent of the raw ingredients used in its production. In other cases, it’s been about making an item look interesting or distinctive from competitors, like candies or desserts in an electric blue or neon pink. Think blue raspberry Slurpee” or Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. It hasn’t been without controversy. Over the decades, there have been pushback and government regulation over just how food and drink have been colored, most recently with the decision last month from the federal Food and Drug Administration to ban red dye No. 3 from foods and oral-ingested drugs because of concerns over a possible cancer risk. But no one’s calling for food NOT to be colorful. That’s because there’s no escaping the importance of what we see when it comes to what we eat, says Devina Wadhera, faculty associate at the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts of Arizona State University. Your first sensory contact, if your eyes are open, is going to be sight, she says. Thats going to be the first judgment were going to make. Visual appeal is pivotal The food manufacturers of the late 19th century knew they had to get the visual appeal right. It was part of their marketing, as a shorthand to encourage brand recognition, to make consumers feel comfortable about quality and overcome worries (or realities) about spoilage as food production became industrialized, says Ai Hisano, author of Visualizing Taste: How Business Changed the Look of What You Eat. Synthetic dyes helped overcome problems like foods losing color in the production process and helped make foods look more natural, she says. Then, over time, dyes were deployed to make foods look fun and appealing to audiences like young children. (That doesn’t mean manufacturers didn’t sometimes use colorants that could even be deadlyhence the reason there’s regulation.) She pointed to the mid-20th century example of cake mixes, which reduced the amount of effort required to bake a cake at home because most of the ingredients were already included. Food companies began promoting colorful icing for the cakes as a way women baking at home could kind of present their personality even though they are making a premixed cake, Hisano says. We become conditioned to coloring The connections we make between colors and foods are learned, Wadhera says. Throughout our lives, we make associations which mean things. Cake is associated with birthdays. Ice cream is associated with parties and good times, so everything is associative learning. Color is one of those things that we have this tendency to learn about different flavor pairings. She gave the example of the spate of products like chips and other snacks that are marketed as having an extra kick. Often theyre super red because (companies are) trying to say, Hey, this is going to be spicy because theyre trying to get to this sensation or perception that this is going to be really spicybuy it. The connections that we make between color and taste can also change according to the context, says Charles Spence, professor of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford. A blue liquid in a plastic cup in a bathroom? Could be minty mouthwash. The exact same color liquid, in a bar, held in a rocks glass? Could be bitter gin. Different cultures around the world also have different color associations, he says, although it’s fairly constant across geographies that the more vivid a color is, the more intense people assume the flavor will be. It can even extend past the food itself to the colors involved in its presentation, Wadhera says, pointing to research showing people eating different amounts or preferring certain foods linked to the colors of the dishes used to serve them. And much of the time, she says, people aren’t necessarily aware they’re doing it. Theres a lot of things with color that you can manipulate and affect judgments, she says. You dont think of it, though. . . . We make automatic judgments on the food and we dont even realize it. By Deepti Hajela, Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||