Catherwood LibraryILR School

California employers hired more than 11,000 guest workers last year – primarily for produce production - with the first quarter of 2017 showing 25% growth in recruitment. Recruited under the H-2A visa program, employers are required to provide free housing to the workers. But produce farmers hiring temporary workers often face animosity and hurdles in finding affordable places to live for their employees, with potential housing areas either overcrowded or with a steep cost of living. Facing rotting crops due to labor shortages, one company converted an old sugar mill into living quarters for more than 800 employees, who travel to the fields via company bus. Another produce farm found one of their unfinished houses burned to the ground in an act of arson. Resentment and animosity comes from neighboring residents who feel that large numbers of temporary residents lower property values and increase crime and traffic. The job postings, which are open to all, have also attracted domestic workers who are eager to take advantage of far lower housing costs by sharing 2-bedroom domiciles with as many as seven other employees.