Hispanic Labor in Gwinnett

Cody Ford

8 November 2005

Dr. Gagnon

History 4110

Hispanic Labor in Gwinnett

We live in a society today where many of the jobs that used to be performed by American Citizens are now performed by Hispanics. Landscapers, stone masons, hotel maids, construction workers of all kinds, just to name a few professions. This is not a paper about legal status, but about the state of labor in Gwinnett County and other parts of Georgia. Why are Hispanics (mostly Mexicans) filling the jobs that Americans used to fill? Are the immigrants working for lower wages or doing jobs that American men and women no longer want to do? Are the local businesses getting fed up with day laborers hanging around their stores? Well, those types of questions can't be easily answered. Many factors are involved. We will look at many issues surrounding the Hispanic immigrant labor debate that takes place right now here in Gwinnett county and other surrounding areas.

It's pretty obvious why the Latinos are coming over the border to America. Here in America we have better jobs that pay much better than anything Mexico or El Salvador and the like has to offer. Anyone in that position would want to provide for their family in the way that Hispanics are doing. They hear from their friends and family who are already over here in Georgia about how great everything is. In my research I found an article on UGA's website regarding the overall Hispanic issue. There were quite a few interviews from Hispanic workers and from affluent Hispanics in the community. Doug Bachtel, a rural demographer and professor in UGA's College of Family and Consumer Sciences says, "These are people doing the jobs Americans won't take," he remarks that many Latinos have come to the South because they're comfortable with the strong family and religious (Catholic) values they find here. The article also talks about Javier; a mason in Gwinnett County, this man is devoted to making as much money as possible and sending it home to his wife and babies. He does whatever he can to show up for work everyday with out fail. He also worries about being caught by the authorities, deportation would mean another harsh three-day walk across the desert to re-cross the U.S. border—a journey Javier summarizes with one brief sentence: "My feet were blood from no good shoes." Watching his family suffer from malnutrition in Mexico—knowing that he could better provide for them if he were in America led him here to Gwinnett. [1] Husbands and oldest sons of Mexican families have the responsibility of providing for the family.

Some people say that Hispanic labor has all but saved certain industries from sure demise. Americans slowly left these labor intensive service jobs in favor of higher paying (indoor) jobs. The Hispanics seized an opportunity when it arose. Take for instance the carpet industry in Dalton, Georgia. Hispanic labor has pretty much taken control of that industry. According to the Georgia Encyclopedia there was a labor shortage in the 80's and 90's, and proved to be a big problem for the big carpet makers of Dalton. The solution was Latino workers; they came in droves to Dalton after the word got out. As Georgia's carpet industry entered the year 2000, a large portion of the mill workforce consisted of Hispanic immigrants. Hispanic children made up close to half the student population in the Dalton city schools as of 1999. The swift increase of Hispanic labor has caused social tension, but manufacturers "lauded the newcomers for their work ethic" (in other words, they are hard workers so leave them alone). Mill owners regard Hispanic workers as the "saviors" of the industry, allowing the mills to remain in Dalton and keeping labor costs in check. [2] Some might say the easy conclusion might be that Dalton's mill owners simply brought in and exploited cheap immigrant labor, yet the reality was at least a bit more complex.

Just as I mentioned above that Latinos were moving to Dalton in droves, they are moving to other rural areas as well. Gainesville for instance has large poultry processing plants there. Census information has shown a sharp increase in Hispanics to the Gainesville due to work at the poultry farms. Rapid economic growth that has occurred in the region in recent decades along with globalization and rising demand in the poultry industry have fueled the industry’s growth in northern Georgia and provided resultant work opportunities for immigrants. The industry has hired more workers to meet increasing demands because labor is relatively cheaper than capital improvement. [3] This information comes from a pretty helpful book I picked up called Latino Workers in the Contemporary South. The book also goes on to talk about southern Georgia, where onions are the name of the game. I have seen this myself, driving down the road next to an onion field and hundreds and hundreds of Hispanics with their families are busily picking onions for the owner of the farm. Not a white or black person to be found. Why is that? Because it is hard on your back and knees and you are paid by the pound or by the bag or something like that. This means you have to move quickly and work hard to make money, something whites and blacks aren’t interested in, extreme physical labor.

Are there Hispanics in the community of Gwinnett that are not landscapers and sidewalk pavers? Certainly, and the number is steadily growing, especially in Gwinnett county. Talented Hispanics who have mastered English in a short time are very valuable to anyone who deals with or works with Hispanics on a regular basis. Take for instance Ernesto Alvarez of Suwannee, according to this Associated Press article from 1999 he was able to obtain a managers position at McDonalds because of his language skills. [4] Being able to communicate with other Latinos with ease is extremely important and that’s why some of these bilingual Hispanics are rising to the top so-to-speak. More money is offered to them because they are in short supply. They are filling jobs such as managers of fast food restaurants, supervisors for landscapers, and customer service for anyone who deals with Spanish speaking people. They saw a need and filled it, they recognized they had a talent and took advantage of it henceforth furthering their own careers. Without the bilingual men and women of this country, I personally think things would be pretty bad off.

There is another issue brewing right now and has been for the last few years. Day laborers, it is a love hate relationship. When we want something done, we might go pick some up. They are easy to find, standing around off Jimmy Carter Boulevard or Buford Highway mostly. It is however, unsightly for homeowners nearby or even people who are just passing by in their car by and it's a constant battle between the two groups. I don’t think anyone wants to see 120 Hispanic men on a street corner. According to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article, Duluth was fed up as much as 5 years ago and tried to ensure that groups of Hispanics don’t gather anywhere public, to be picked up for day labor. Day laborers would be asked to show identification, and if they can't show any then they would be asked to leave. [5] Now, from experience I can tell you that the police don't do anything about it. I see them all day long in Roswell, Marietta, Chamblee, and I of course see them congregating in Norcross. The police drive right by and don’t tell them to leave. The only people taking charge of the situation are the merchants along these roads. The people that own little shops and restaurants are the ones that take charge and get them off their property. Take Sandip Patel, the owner of a local Dunkin Donuts off Jimmy Carter Boulevard. "Everyday we clean this mess, if you saw this place yesterday you wouldn’t want to eat here, it just trashy." He is referring to litter contributed by day laborers who stand near his establishment. According to Patel, when he has a break from his duties at work he will go out and shoo away the Hispanic day laborers lingering around his store. He says that since police won't do it he will have to. [6]

Most Hispanics though either have or are in search of a stable job that provides consistent income so they can send it home to their families. In some cases though, these "families" we keep talking about are already here in Gwinnett county, brought over here over a period of time (it's pricey to bring someone over the border). It's hard trying to find a new job everyday if you are a day laborer. So, like regular Americans these immigrants are sticking with a company through thick and thin, and are loyal to their bosses. As I mentioned before, the bilingual Hispanics are climbing the ladder to the top of the company and becoming supervisors and crew leaders. Many men and women have been working the same job for as many as 5 years for about the same pay. You might ask why, well because it is steady. That really matters among Latinos, they can easily rely on the upcoming paycheck and they know about how much it will be. [7] From my experience as a landscaper and manager of Hispanic employees, I can say that they scour their paycheck and if it half an hour off by mistake they will bring it to my attention right then on Friday morning when the check is handed out. Every dollar counts to them. So, when the pay is consistent, they will stay with an employer for as long as they need to. They might stay as long as it takes until they have enough money to either go home or at least visit home. I have seen that happen a good bit, and then 8 months later you see the same man again asking if he can come back to work. We always say yes, they are experienced, hard working, and we can trust them.

So, have these immigrant workers saved certain industries? Some would say yes like Rick Porter of Richport properties out of Gwinnett. "I will say unequivocally that the Hispanic labor market has saved the building industry in metro Atlanta, the work ethic was never a question, they seem to understand that this business can sometimes be chaotic, and undisciplined. And in this line of work, there are sometimes misunderstandings by newcomers who don't understand how much work it is, but with the Hispanic workers, that barrier isn't there.'' [8] What he is saying is that when you bring new guys on to work for you, they just go to work whenever you get to the job site. They don't wait around; they just start doing whatever they think is helpful to the job. I think of all the beautiful properties I see in Snellville everyday. Would they be there if not for the Mexicans? I don’t know. I would say that Hispanics have allowed small companies to expand into medium size companies and made more money for everyone and boosted the economy. To say that landscaping companies and construction would be out of business is false in my opinion. They haven’t "saved" anything. What they have done is allowed companies to expand. That otherwise might not have happened with unreliable American employees. You would also see a lower level of service, as far as the service industries go, slower work and less quality among the workers.

So, what have I proved by writing this? I think I have proved that it is hard to say "we need to deport all the Mexicans", because some people say stuff like that. We need them and they need us at this point. Like I said earlier it is a love hate relationship for most people. They want their favorite clothing stores built and maintained but they don’t want to see the Hispanics on the corner near their house looking for work. It's not something that can't be fixed over night. We are all going to have to work with each other. Especially right here in Gwinnett county.