Sun Valley Floral Farms let go of 283 undocumented workers today after receiving a letter from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week indicating that the employees — from flower pickers to management-level staff — were not eligible for employment in the United States.
Sun Valley President and CEO Lane DeVries met with his entire staff this afternoon and shared the “shocking” news with them. In a phone conversation today, DeVries described the meeting as “heart-warming and frustrating.”
As for the 283 workers who are now jobless, he said, “It really stinks. It’s a raw deal. It’s very sad for everyone. These people bought houses, bought cars, spent money at the Bayshore Mall. This is not good for this community.”
And it’s bad news for Sun Valley too. “The heart and the soul of our team is getting ripped out,” he said. “The heart and soul of our company is no longer with us.
What now? DeVries says he’ll be able to pick up some of the slack with local high schools letting out soon.
But that’s only a temporary fix. Some of the workers who were let go today had been with Sun Valley for 17 years, DeVries said.
Mario Meza, general manager of Spanish-language radio station KNCR in Fortuna, told the Journal today that he has received a steady stream of calls from anonymous community members about the layoffs since last Friday .
DeVries insisted that what took place at Sun Valley was not a layoff. “A layoff,” he said, “is induced by a company. This has nothing to do with Sun Valley. We had absolutely no choice to do what we did this afternoon.”
This article appears in Ends Meet.
Were they the heart and soul or the muscle?
“Pick up some of the slack from the local Highschool”
Doesn’t sound like much of them were these high paying jobs. What I want to know is how did Sun Valley employ illegals for 17 years and get away with it?
It used to be very normal for high school kids to get jobs picking bulbs – there were alot of bulb farms in McKinleyville.
This is a blow – two hundred and eight three workers? How many people are employed there? How did this come about?
This seems a bit like that meat packing plant in IOWA, however, no reports of stolen Social Security cards? I agree with Anon, seems a little bit like exploitation on the payscale.
Sure is tough to run a legitimate business in this town.
Not a lot of people that I have talked too are that surprised. One person used to work at a Credit Union that was Central to the Coast, and I was told that they as cashiers were told never to check ID on cashing Sun Valley paychecks, then there was a couple of wreaks that happened which people who were on their way to Sun Valley would run or try to run in their cars to Sun Valley to get away.
Oh yeah Rose, some of those bulb farms are still there in McKinleyville too Rose, I also remember that bucking Hay was a high schoolers job as well, until they all went to the marsh mellow machines that they use now. I asked one of the dairy guys about that years ago, and he was happy that he didn’t have to pay high schoolers for less than a honest day’s wage anymore.
283 people is the same as removing the fourth or fifth largest company on the north coast and tossing it into the sea. You won’t really find me being that upset, because if you have been working for the same company for 17 years, why haven’t you at all worked to being legal in that country?
Blame both sides of the equation in this one. Yes, these workers probably should have sought a more permanent worker status. Who is to say that the employer did not discourage these workers from doing that? Exploitation involves cutting off all available resources for workers who are being exploited. Who knows?
Yeah, I feel bad about these workers being let go, but there are plenty of other companies who need undocumented workers to fill out their workforce. This will require that the people move, but hey, they had to know the risks involved no matter how much time had passed.
Families move to where the work is, or in this case, to where the Feds have already been, or have not found out about.
-boy
The whole thing is a tragedy.
Heraldo, your elitist racism is showing: Many of the employees were managers and shift leaders, this isn’t the bottom quintile we’re talking about.
Being an illegal, hispanic immigrant doesn’t make you the “muscle.” Have you been to Sun Valley? Much of their senior management team is hispanic, and that 17 year employee was no doubt a manager.
And AnonR, shouldn’t holding the same job for 17 years MAKE YOU a citizen? The insanity of immigration law makes it damn hard to become legal once you are already here.
-JMan
Bullshit JMAN.
I know lots of people who have become legal, or even resident Aliens. They just didn’t put out any effort.
FWIW from an HR perspective (don’t shoot the messenger). The law is very clear about what constitutes proper documentation when hiring employees. Employers that knowingly hire individuals who are not eligible to work in the US take a chance that the Feds will come down on them and levy big fines to boot. Like it or not, folks, that’s just how it is.
The T-S reported that the workers’ “employment numbers” were incorrect, so it could be they presented falsified documents of which Sun Valley’s hiring personnel wouldn’t have known (giving them the benefit of the doubt, here).
At any rate, it’s gotta suck losing half your workforce in one fell swoop during the peak season. I realize there’s a lot of people up here who need jobs. Are they willing to perform the labor intensive work involved with picking and packing flowers? (High schoolers? Ya, right…)
“I know lots of people who have become legal, or even resident Aliens.”
Anon-R-Mouse knows about as much about immigration law as he knows about English grammar.
Joel, why don’t you go back to your little overmoderated blog so you canhave your powertrip there tough guy. By the way Joel, you are really starting to look like hell and what’s with the jowls like a bulldog you have forming? I’d also wash that gray right out of your hair as well.
Doesn’t mean that I don’t know more people in Humboldt County that have become legal aliens or residents of the USA than you Joel.
Isn’t it time you sell your place like Tim and move away yet?
He’s as witty as he is charming, isn’t he?
Well, then high schoolers will be perfect for those positions, won’t they?
Carson Park Ranger Says:
Jun. 10, 2008 at 9:33 pm
He’s as witty as he is charming, isn’t he?
Awwwwww, poor Joel. See you in the funny papers fruitcake.
“They just didn’t put out any effort.”
Hundreds of hard-working immigrants are thrown out of work, and Anon-R-Mous calls them lazy.
“…why don’t you go back to your little overmoderated blog…”
Thanks, but I don’t really put that much effort into comment moderation. Pea-brained, vulgar attack comments are easily deleted.
283 ILLEGAL TO BE EMPLOYED PEOPLE lost their jobs. Joel and his type just love illegal immigrants as the new cost cutting slave wagers. Thanks for pretty much proving the point that left-wingers lie and cheat and have no problems with it Joel.
Liar’s Club
Anon-R-Mouse has to shout to get his point across. Apparently, “illegal” equals lazy.
I wonder how industrious Mouse is.
“Even though Joel trying to have a Dirty Harry flashback, I’m going to take the Obama high road and end it right here. Peace and love.”
🙂
Please Carson Park, not every one is a expert speller, bet you were the little mouse geek in the corner everyone beat in HS, or did you take the easy route out and take the exit test early? Go design a website and run spell check to kill some time. ppffft- baggin on his spelling, you sound like some English Toad Major.
You know, no where in my post did I say that being illegal was being lazy, as a worker. I’m pretty sure that isn’t there in any of my subjects at all.
Is someone projecting their ideas onto my posts?
When I moved to HumCo, it seemed to be common knowledge amongst my neighbors that Sun Valley was the hook-up for Social Security Cards. I don’t see how else ~300 employees can be undocumented unless the company is simply overlooking that little detail.
While I’m not surprise, it is an unfortunate turn of events for many.
Good luck to Sun Valley finding more than 250 “legal” Americans willing to work as hard as the crew they just had to jettison. It would be nice to know WHY there are so many undocumented workers. Is the immigration process so daunting? Maybe the NCJ could consider this story. I can’t help but think it must be a sucky process if it’s easier to buy expensive fake documents than to go through bureaucratic process to become legal….not right, just easier for people who just want to work.
How long does it take to become a legal citizen of the USA? Can it not be done in 17 years? If one has made such a personal investment in our community don’t you think it would be wise for that individual to protect that investment?
“Is the immigration process so daunting?”
Yes, it is.
“Can it not be done in 17 years?”
As an example, for those who entered on a tourist visa (even if they were children upon entry to the US) they cannot get resident status ever.
” Carson Park Ranger Says:
Jun. 12, 2008 at 10:04 am
“Is the immigration process so daunting?”
Yes, it is.
“Can it not be done in 17 years?”
As an example, for those who entered on a tourist visa (even if they were children upon entry to the US) they cannot get resident status ever.”
Perhaps you would like to enlighten us on the process and provide actual information as opposed to just making a statement.
9/11 made getting citizenship much harder. the waiting list is years long….
“theo therme Says:
Jun. 12, 2008 at 11:27 am
9/11 made getting citizenship much harder. the waiting list is years long….”
Again another statement made with no real information included. We know it takes longer as a result of 911, etc. But what is the process in becoming a United States citizen?
http://www.uscis.gov
the us citizenship and immigration services department
are you so used to paying Mexicans to do your Google searches that you have become too lazy to do your own?
“Perhaps you would like to enlighten us on the process and provide actual information as opposed to just making a statement.”
Find it yourself.
Stunningly witty, isn’t he?
Corporate America loves cheap labor, and having undocumented workers is like having a bunch of slaves; undocumented workers can’t complain to OSHA or anyone else, and they don’t have to be given the same treatment that a unionized worker can demand.
Bush and Co. have left the borders wide open, as a helping hand to Corporate Generica. It’s not a right-wing/left-wing thing, people have been pitted against each other on the issue, which is part of the divide-and-conquer strategy of the elites.
There are plenty of Americans who need jobs, and why should it be easier for an illegal immigrant to get a job than for an American citizen? Because the illegal can be exploited easier.
Then the feds come in, charge fines (usually) and the whole system makes even more money, at the expense of the employers and people who have built their lives on the delusion that everything will be just fine and illegit.
Were the workers being provided with masks, to protect themselves from the toxic pesticides that Sun Valley uses?
Why are illigal immigrants so numerously and easily allowed to cross our border, even after 9/11? Look into NAFTA and the NAFTA superhighway to understand why. The elites want to basically dissolve the U.S.A. into one big North American Union, so that we can all become 3rd World citizens, with the exception of the 1/2 of 1% of the population, the corporate elite.
You can call it “conspiracy theory,” which is just what the globalists want you to do. No, there’s nothing going on at the top, right? It’s all just coincidence, no collaboration or planning going on, right? Anyone who thinks so must be crazy, correct?
Think again, our society is being destroyed by design, and we’ll all end up as slaves if we’re not careful.
Gaining citizenship to another country is never as easy as going to the quick-mart, nor should it be. None of us would go to a foreign country and expect the full rights and benefits of citizens, yet we Americans are expected to subsidize all kinds of people who sneak across our borders and start signing up for the American Dream. Well, it’s becoming a nightmare, and it’s up to us to see things clearly so that we can get out of it.
“…why should it be easier for an illegal immigrant to get a job than for an American citizen?”
How about Anonymous#9 explaining this assertion?
A lot of employers would rather hire undocumented workers because they can pay them less. Also, undocumented workers cannot unionize, so it sets up the perfect slave class of disempowered workers, because they can’t make a peep to anyone about any abuses. They may also not be aware of the hazards that their employers are exposing them to, or are in such a financial position that they feel that they can’t afford to care. How many undocumented workers know what a “pesticide” is, or how dangerous expose to them can be? I know that Sun Valley was protested by some local activists for their use of harmful chemicals, and, from what I understand, are not running an organic operation, which can potentially poison a lot of living creatures.
What a scam, though, eh? The feds leave the borders wide open and then go around busting workers who hire them, so the corporate elite get their slave class and their federal enforcement arms get more funding through fines. More money for “Homeland Security,” right?
“The feds leave the borders wide open…”
Anonymous#9 makes some fair points, but I doubt that he’s been anywhere near the US/Mexico border in quite a long time.It is far from “wide open.”