PALM BEACH POST

October 19, 2005

Find voices for migrants

Palm Beach Post Editorial

State Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, is a citrus grove owner. If he also is the strong supporter of migrant farmworker rights that Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, maintains that he is, Sen. Alexander should be concerned that membership of his committee on migrant farmworkers doesn't include enough other advocates for the invisible people who stock the state's pantry.

Most, if not all, migrants are minorities. As it stands, five of the six members of the Legislative Commission on Migrant and Seasonal Issues are white, including a second grove owner. The exception is Rep. John Quinones, R-Kissimmee, who is Puerto Rican. Are there no other minority legislators who want to ease the harsh and sometimes life-threatening conditions in Florida's fields?

Sen. Aronberg points out that Sen. Alexander sponsored the failed effort last session to require seat belts on farm labor vans. He notes Sen. Alexander's support for a 2004 bill that increased penalties for labor contractors who abuse or exploit farmworkers. "Don't look at ethnicity or background," Sen. Aronberg says. "Look at politics."

We are. The politics of the Legislature are such that it is hard to pass any farmworker reform bill. It will be even harder if this special committee doesn't have as many strong farmworker advocates as possible. This newspaper for years has documented incidents of farmworkers being cheated, robbed and even enslaved by employers, all of which point to the need for increased legislative awareness.

Without disputing Sen. Alexander's sense of right and wrong, the industry has been the problem. The committee just held its first meeting Monday. There needs to be a wider perspective before the Legislature convenes in March.