Front Street Weekly; 812

Oh. Tonight on Front Street weekly bitter harvest a new immigration law controls the supply of migrant workers to the state. But critics say it will only cause new problems. We'll look at the new law and its impact on farmers and migrant workers. One of the gamble booth looks at a local arts and crafts school. But a national reputation that's getting a head for business. And will be Rob Frederick a Northwest painter inspired by the beauty of Oregon. Good evening and welcome to this edition of Front Street Weekly. Our first story tonight is about

a big concern facing growers all over Oregon crops like these Christmas trees and dozens of others bring in millions of dollars each year to the state's economy. But for a long time we haven't paid much attention to the people who harvest these crops. Well that's all changed in the past couple of years and lately we've been seeing lots of stories in the media about homeless migrants who got stuck here during the winter. Many people say the situation really began back in 1986 when Congress passed a new immigration bill. It was a controversy a law and critics of the measure say that the situation we're seeing now is really just the beginning of a much more serious and complicated problem. The people at the center of this controversy are not used to getting a lot of attention but farm workers are a key link in America's food chain. And right now many people are worried that the supply of farm labor is in jeopardy. It's part of the ongoing debate over a 1986 law called the Immigration Reform and Control Act. It's going to have a dramatic effect in the 25 years that I've been at this company I've never been

faced with the problem of labor shortage as we do right now. It's no secret that for years many of the workers in our fields and orchards were illegal aliens. At times the supply of this migrant labor seemed almost unlimited. Many workers were smuggled into this country by labor brokers called coyotes. The new immigration law is an attempt to crack down on the illegal practices once and for all. From now on employers will have to be much more careful about each person who gets hired. Employer Sanctions is a major cornerstone of this legislation that for the first time places full responsibility upon the employers of this nation to screen job applicants to make sure that those that they choose to hire have a lawful claim to those jobs and in order to have a lawful claim on field work illegal aliens could apply for new status as special agricultural workers to qualify for the saw program.

Workers had to prove they did farm labor in the US for 90 days between May of 1985 and May of 86 the final deadline for applying to the Saw program was last November 30th and there was a huge last minute rush. The INS office in Portland was jammed. Immigration officials say more than 30000 people applied to the Saw program in Oregon. With that many farm workers why should anyone be concerned about a labor shortage in the fields. I think that you will definitely see some of them moving out of agriculture because there are other jobs that are better than agriculture was. Dick Ginsburg is an immigration lawyer who's been watching the farm labor system for many years until now. Illegal workers didn't have many options in their lives. The fear of being caught and deported kept them from looking for other jobs. But with a new law in effect workers may set their sights on a better future. Well these people are no different from any of us they want to better their situation they want to provide for their families for their children so certainly they want the best

job that they can get the most economic security that they can get. In the past we've looked at migrant labor as a group not as individuals. No one has ever taken an exact count of how many workers are in Oregon during the peak of the harvest season. Right now a lot of growers are wondering what kind of labor situation they can count on when spring arrives. I feel really confident that in our operation we'll have enough people coming back to that will be able to harvest our crops. But I do have this feeling knowing ad me that there's going to be a shortage of workers during spring and summer. Doug Cramer will need more than 300 workers for the berry harvest at Lloyd farms in Cornelius Cramer does not use labor brokers or coyotes to get his workers. For years many of them have come from a single community in Mexico. The relationship has helped him create a stable workforce.

But Cramer thinks he may have trouble with other growers any time you get a shortage of workers. My greatest fear is that other growers will come and try and take the workers from us. They have been coming and working for us. Cramer doesn't like the idea that all his years of building up a reliable workforce may end up benefiting other growers. Part of the intent behind the new immigration law was to encourage competition for labor with the idea that growers might start hiring more U.S. citizens. But growers say it's not realistic to think that unemployed Americans have the desire or the skills to do this kind of work. We feel that our workers. You are a skilled at doing what they're doing which is harvesting our soft fruits. Is anybody that works in other sectors of the economy. I don't believe we'll ever be able to depend on our domestic labor force.

Here's a different kind of agricultural work we seldom think about. It goes on every day at hundreds of nurseries around Oregon and a lot of these operations are also noticing a change in the workforce. For one month we look for 15 positions and we only got one. That's basically what I'm saying. And we're you know we're running the ads again through the month of January. And I know we're not the only nursery out there looking for work you see there but I feel there is a shortage for Terry Dillard. This is not a seasonal problem. She says her company needs about 30 full time workers who are willing to learn about horticulture and work year round. Filling those jobs has been a frustrating experience. We really feel it takes 30 to 45 days to train someone here just to know where everything is and in to become a productive employee. And when you have turnover at the rate we have where people are coming in and working a couple weeks and on their way we feel that we're just getting no productive employment. Terry Dillard is also frustrated by all the paperwork of the new law from now

on everyone who gets hired for a job has to fill out this I-9 form and show documents that prove he or she is eligible to work. Many immigrant workers now have driver's licenses Social Security cards and other forms of identification. But employers have to be careful that all documents are genuine and that makes the hiring process much more complicated. I consider myself a little smarter than a fence post at least. And when I see these documents come in I truly don't know which are which are correct and which are not. I find myself in here many a day spinning for five hours going over the files and being sure everything is in order and at the same time my workload is still sitting out there on my desk and confirmations are ready to be sent back in there late and. This is just adding a tremendous amount of paperwork and appear mentally ory the Immigration Service has tried to convince growers to stop worrying.

And the new immigration law does have a system for handling labor shortages in the years ahead. It's called the replacement agricultural workers program and it begins on October 1st. Under the Roth program a limited number of new workers will be allowed into the U.S. to maintain the supply of farm labor. But as of now the exact procedures for the program haven't been worked out. We have no final regulations. The procedure however will involve not just the immigration service but the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor. The latter two organizations. Who will be responsible for periodically surveying the agricultural industry and based upon that survey will establish a statistical floor so to speak upon which we can make projections on the number of raw workers to be admitted to the United States following. 10 100. My feelings on that are the same as many people. And that is until there is actually crop

Wass and more than one commodity that we're not going to see. The Department of Labor. Their migration service and the Department of Agriculture agree on how many people they're let into the country. Right now there's no way of telling how many farm workers may decide to leave the fields and find other jobs. And some people say the fear of a worker shortage is being exaggerated. If you start looking at their experiences you know where they're coming from where they come from they come from the right and they're not going to go into the city. They're not going to go into to restaurants or hotels and construction other than they're going to stay on the farm. They're farm workers. Right. Cypriano farrel is president of Northwest tree planters and farm workers united as a union organizer he's been waging an uphill battle in Oregon for several years. So far none of the growers in Oregon have signed a union contract with their workers.

But that situation could change now that the number of workers is limited by the new immigration law. It's going to stabilize the workforce. And you know we're going to be able to work a lot better I'm going to be more effective because we're going to have more time with these people who don't see a need for any more any more people especially if they. Bring up the wages and start treating people a little better. You'll have you'll have plenty of people to do to pick up the crops. One thing everyone agrees on is that Oregon did have plenty of workers to pick the crops last season and many of them ended up staying here during the winter. People who have been working with the migrants say this situation didn't happen by accident. The great majority of those people did not just show up they were brought here by labor contractors who specifically recruited these people with promises of all sorts of things and I think a combination of that plus people thinking that this is a real opportunity now for me to come up with a tremendous number of

people here in the past few months we've seen plenty of headlines about the problems of homeless migrants around the state. This group of several families has been getting help from a church in Canby and many of these people have a common goal. They want to work and they want to improve their lives. OK then he says that he doesn't want to cause his main thing. Is to work yourself in this society to be part of the community into kids to grow up to be somebody for these people being out of work is a frustrating experience and that frustration has been felt all over the state in Washington County. Many farm workers have been getting help at central cultural a local community outreach group. These people come with the system to do work even and no matter what type of work. How heavy how hard it is. They are here to do the work they want to work. They don't want to to receive

handouts. Once the harvest season begins and workers are able to find jobs the situation may improve but it won't just take care of itself. Many social service agencies are worried that next winter will be seeing the same problems all over again. And it shouldn't be surprising that many farm workers don't want to go back to their homelands even for a few months. In Mexico the economy just wasted and so people have to come up they have to come up they either either have to leave or see their their their families starve right. What Cypriano farrel is talking about could be the most controversial aspect of the new immigration law. With so many people out of work in Mexico and other Latin American countries can the U.S. really stop the flow of illegal aliens by making it harder for them to get jobs in this country. The Immigration Service says yes. And by removing the magnet of employability and for the title of benefits. We're hoping that. They'll see the light. And

in. Terms of returning to their to their homes because it's a very magnet this problems here brought him here has been removed and to that extent it should make both the employers job and our job a bit easier. Well you know there's no way that that they're going to seal off the border. You know I think that's just you know they're dreaming if they think they're going to they're going to do that. A lot of people will be paying very close attention to what happens in the fields and orchards during the next few years. If the new law does not lead to a stable dependable workforce the big fear is that some of the crops Oregon is famous for will simply be phased out. New plantings of these types of fruits and berries are not happening at this point. And when we see that instead of buying berries that 29 30 nice cents a pound will have to buy the maybe at $2. Then our pockets are going to hurt and then we're

going to say what happened to that cheap labor that we used to have because that's what makes American people speak out loud and clear you know when our pockets are hurting. Then we say and this is wrong. Our next story is about an art institution in Portland with a national reputation. Here the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts students learn to hone their artistic skills. And now executive director John Lott us says students will be taught to hone their business and marketing skills as well. It's a new approach for this. The oldest arts and crafts school in the country. On these wooded acres west of Portland sits one of Oregon's best kept secrets. In fact like some other institutions in the state Reed College for example it enjoys a fine national reputation. Well many Oregonians would be hard pressed to

tell you what it is. Now however with its new director and strong direction from its board. The school is poised to make Oregonian sit up and take notice. John Lott has to set his sights on giving the school students a businesslike approach to the actual marketing of their arts and crafts. We're going to concentrate the program totally on three areas. In the studio work itself. The historical basis of that work. And then the third component I got the most exciting and that's. The business of being an artist how do you. Open a business how do you set up a studio How do you set up a set of books when you need an accountant and not merely Should you get a hold of a lawyer right away how do you deal with taxes and then most importantly how do you deal with. The marketing and sales of the gallery world where your work. Will be sold. And that makes it different than any program I know of in the country.

Often at schools like Sachar Cranbrook in the East students would graduate with a fine education but no learning of the pragmatic approach to selling their art. Paul Bennett is a case in point. Now a successful artist whose work is featured at the Gangle gallery in Portland and it still feels a little angry at what his art school did not teach him. When I went to art school one day and when I get these letters from our school about how did you like the school then you know 10 years later and I so I thought the grad school was great except I never learned a thing about how to market my work. And. I really kind of resented that I held that against them for a long time you know. And I was very much the feeling of being kicked out of the nasty you know now you're on your own kid. See what you can do. I just felt like they could they could have done a lot more for me and terms of just giving me some idea about the business. It was all a mystery to me just as all this business and you know and that I would take up a tremendous amount of time trying to figure out taxes for example.

And. It just seemed like a lot of times ever since going through a dark hallway trying to figure this out and every now and then I would come to a window of light in all of this is what it's all about and then I would be back walking down the dark hallway yet trying to figure out what is this what does it mean to do to be an artist and so I think a lot more can be taught to the artist about the business and of making a living off of your work and a good living so enthusiastic is lot us about training artist to be a businessman that he welcomed Jacqueline or Larsen to the school for a day of meetings with corporate heads an influential business leaders based in New York with offices all over the world. Artist Jacqueline or Larson is a success story whose company does millions of dollars of business annually. In a sense he's important in the same way we're trying to put this together dismantle our program first of all in one. Sense a layering Jack as an artist I mean he's just a consummate great artist and he has

done for the. Tech store industry and the art of textiles probably more than any living person today. Then his work in marketing. I mean he's just kind of a genius. At marketing. He can based on his personally experience and stand there and talk right out of the business man as we are it's not only our good business but the eyes of our business coming out of art school of Commerce is a dirty word. I think teaching marketing and even the simplest bookkeeping and. The difference in a debit and a credit and so forth it's amazing that schools don't include universities that are training lawyers that as people also become small businessmen. And they come out without knowing business. But those close to the arts need it the most. And. I don't know that the

students will welcome it but. I think as soon as they. Get out into the adult world they'll be grateful for not being totally ignorant. You'll be meeting with some of the community leaders. What will you tell them about the Oregon school of arts and crafts. I'm going to make a pitch for trusting those who work with their hands. They are problem solvers they are sensitive and sensible and. The school. Must have wider support. But it's in such good shape. It's now poised to. Take its role as a national leader. John not a says that a good school should not only teach the artist to market his work but should teach the business community that it's good business to support the arts. The arts make so much good sense for business and business is starting to realise that it's uncommon off on arts and crafts as an example. To show the businessman the business community in the

business. To show. A way in which making a gift here can not only make them feel like good citizens but can have some direct positive benefit to their business. Well teaching artists they can sell their products without compromising their artistic integrity. The Oregon School of Arts and Crafts will continue its tradition of offering classes to those who may not want art careers but want instruction just for the joy of learning a craft. Any day at the school students can be found in jewelry classes. Weaving. Pottery making. And others. The very finest faculty in the world can come here as visiting our house and we can build a permanent faculty of top level people. Who will serve not only the you are the relatively small number of students in the professional program but. I think even. More openly welcome and invite the park I was too. That has been the source of

this institutional strengths. For the six years we are in the two years we've been around. Willow Sachs new thrust for career artists work. The jury is out of course but one thing is clear. The Oregon School of Arts and Crafts intends to make Oregonians more aware of its existence and its national reputation. Brad Frederick is a native Oregonian and an accomplished painter. As far back as he can remember he says the beauty of the Northwest has been his inspiration. One of things I like to do in my. That I'm hoping to accomplish in my painting is to.

Show people my world. The type of things that I see and I experience Frederick has painted since childhood an artistic bent encouraged by his parents. In college he was an art major and his love of nature led him to minor in biology. One of the things I really like about painting wildlife is that. There's a challenge a constant challenge to try to come up with a creative idea but hopefully have it so or that it's also accurate. When choosing subject matter for a painting I don't want to restrict myself too much. There's kind of a thin line that you can use when when painting real as in that you do want to be artistic still but you don't really want to break the rules to match it to where it would be an impossible situation. A lot of times abstract shapes in a painting are what pull the viewer closer. And I want my painting to be noticeable from across the room usually I want to have

something that's going to draw people a little bit closer to it. And then when they get closer to it hopefully they'll want to keep getting closer yet. You know that's where the detail comes in by attempting to put a lot of mood into a painting I think that one is drawing something from from the Impressionists even though a lot of people don't think that it impressionism unrealism go together at all I think if they can. And that's one of things I'm trying to do. Frederick's inspiration comes from the out of doors. As an artist he struggles to put on canvas what few others have seen. One of things that I try to do is to make it a point to paint things that I do know very well. I think that the most important thing about wildlife painting is actually being out into the wild to see things. If you don't actually experience it it's hard to really hopefully convey that to somebody else. Frederick photographs many animals and uses the pictures for detail in his paintings. But the most important thing is his imagination. There's something in there says something that isn't shown in a photograph and that isn't shown in your sketches. That

just comes from inside the head from how you the emotions I guess that you felt when you were out there the actual painting may not have been something that I saw but something that I maybe was hoping to see and hopefully the field is the field is there too. This is the result of Frederick's search through nature strikingly realistic paintings. This painting is called misty morning Sentinel and it shows a red tail hawk which is a very common bird of prey found throughout North America. There are. People that have never seen a duck in a tree find it hard to believe that ducks would do that. But that's one of the it's a pretty common sight here in Oregon. The first Eagles I saw were a group of them so I thought that would be a nice painting to do is pretty magnificent to see. Just one eagle by itself but to see a group of Mike that is just really something else. I want to strive for perfection as much as I can. And that's that's what being successful is all about.

Next I'm on Front Street weekly satellite technology links up with the sport of kings soon Oregonians from around the state can wager on their favorite ponies simulcast live from Portland Meadows is off track betting a favorite or a long shot for the racing industry and the state of Oregon. Reporter rod Mynah visits a Buddhist monastery that lies just outside Ashland. And we'll see the side of home remodeling they can't show you on this old house. When Steve Amun takes us on a tour of ale house that's Front Street weekly Monday at 8:30 p.m.. I am.