What was the drawback of the Bracero Program?
They were forced to work under unsafe conditions. They were forced to accept substandard wages. They couldn't say anything, because if they did, (the employer) would jerk their permit and deport them."
Why were Mexican Americans against the Bracero Program?
The Bracero Program was controversial in its time. Mexican nationals, desperate for work, were willing to take arduous jobs at wages scorned by most Americans. Farm workers already living in the United States worried that braceros would compete for jobs and lower wages.
What was the purpose and consequence of the Bracero Program?
Under the Bracero Program the U.S. government offered Mexican citizens short-term contracts to work in the United States. The government guaranteed that the braceros would be protected from discrimination and substandard wages.
Was the Bracero Program a success or failure?
Finally, the Bracero Program led to the successful unionization of farm workers. Formed in 1962, the United Farm Workers, headed by Cesar Chavez, organized American farm workers into a cohesive and powerful collective bargaining unit for the first time.
Why was the Bracero Program controversial?
The bracero program was controversial in its time. Mexican nationals, desperate for work, were willing to take arduous jobs at wages scorned by most Americans. Farm workers already living in the United States worried that braceros would compete for jobs and lower wages.
How did the Bracero Program affect Mexican workers?
The Bracero Program concluded on December 31, 1964 as mechanization became more widespread. Ultimately, the program resulted in an influx of undocumented and documented laborers, 22 years of cheap labor from Mexico, and remittances to Mexico by Braceros.
Which groups opposed the Bracero Program and why?
Mexican agri-businesses and agricultural unions were also opposed the program, on the grounds that it not only drained the Mexican economy of agricultural workers but allowed the U.S. to develop a surplus of crops such as cotton, which then hurt the price of Mexican cotton on the market.
Why did the Bracero Program make it difficult to organize farm workers into a union?
The presence of Braceros made organizing farmworkers difficult because the growers had a ready source of labor if the farmworkers went on strike. After the end of the Bracero program in 1964, union organizers were more successful.
How were Mexicans treated during the Bracero Program?
Braceros often faced discrimination, as with “no dogs or Mexicans” signs in some rural stores and restaurants. After the program ended in 1921, Mexicans continued to enter the US illegally, and the establishment of the Border Patrol in 1924 did little to impede their movement.
Was the Bracero Program Opportunity or Exploitation?
Men in the Bracero Program were exploited throughout the years of the programs existence between the years 1942 and 1965. Every time laws were being put into place to protect them or give them something, like insurance or other benefits, it would get voted down and leave the conditions the same.
How was the Bracero Program harmful to domestic agricultural workers in the United States?
In summary, the limited empirical research on the impact of the Bracero program on U.S. workers suggests that while the program successfully expanded the supply of temporary farm labor, it did so at the expense of domestic farm workers as measured by their reduced wages and employment.
Who benefited from the Bracero Program?
Throughout its existence, the Bracero Program benefited both farmers and laborers but also gave rise to numerous labor disputes, abuses of workers and other problems that have long characterized the history of farm labor in the Southwestern United States.