Unemployed Americans can find work on farms.
That’s the message the United Farmworkers of America is trying to get across with it’s “Take Our Jobs” campaign.

In response to calls for a crackdown on illegal immigration, the union is offering to train citizens to get food from field to truck to table. “We’re giving that opportunity to any American that’s unemployed right now, that really wants to see how it is to work in agriculture today,” says Arturo Rodriguez, president of the UFW.

But Rick Oltman with non-profit Californians for Population Stabilization says the program is a far cry from a real job training opportunity. “This is a political stunt,” he says, “that’s designed to continue to push the idea that we need to keep the borders open to allow illegal aliens to flood into our country.”

Union organizers say anyone is welcome to take them up on their offer– but few have, given the backbreaking labor and difficult working conditions. Rodriguez says he can understand why only a handful of people have shown interest. “The fact that you’re going to be working out in the hot sun, it’s going to be a hundred degrees plus, no air conditioning, often times no shade for the workers.. they’re not ready to tolerate those kinds of conditions.”

But critics argue those conditions and low wages are perpetuated by the influx of cheap Mexican labor. They say securing the border would result in a labor shortage, driving up wages and sparking competition to get even the toughest farmworker jobs.

“There are no jobs people won’t do, only wages that people won’t accept. If we saw some fair wages for farmworkers, we would probably see more americans lining up for these jobs, as we are in other industries where there are those very few job openings,” Oltman says.

Of course, “fair” wages would mean significant price hikes for American produce, leaving stores and shoppers to choose between cheap fruits and vegetables from south of the border, or higher priced goods picked by their neighbors. In this economy, the union says, that’s no choice at all. Critics insist it’s a small price to pay for putting Americans back to work, and securing the border.