At Luther Lewis & Son in Davis, the 

 local picking crew is down to just three 

 women — ages 73, 75 and 83. 



As local women retire, the tradition 

 of working at the crab house is not the 

 choice of the younger generation. 



For example, Gussie Betts has made 

 a living in seafood — shucking oysters 

 and for the last nine years picking crab at 

 Mattamuskeet. Yet her children have 

 chosen a life not just outside seafood, but 

 outside Hyde County. 



One is in the Navy; another, in the 

 Army. A third works in Greensboro, and 

 the youngest is in college in Fayetteville. 



Five years ago, Buck turned to Mexi- 

 can workers to maintain production. Her 

 first year, she brought 1 8 women through 

 the federal H2B program, which provides 

 temporary visas of up to one year for 

 foreigners to fill jobs left vacant by U.S. 

 workers. 



This year, Buck alone has brought 

 more than 40 Mexican women to Hyde 

 County. 



The Mexican women who come to 

 Mattamuskeet Seafood are from 

 Chiltepec and surrounding towns — a 

 12-hour bus ride from Cancun, where the 

 workers take a plane to North Carolina. 



In all, about 300 workers from that 

 area come to work in crab plants in 

 Fairfield, Oriental and Columbia. About 

 100 women spend the winter picking at 

 the lone crab house in Chiltepec, but 

 most only work during the North 

 Carolina crab season. 



Other Mexican workers come from a 

 variety of locations. Those from central 

 areas such as Durango may never have 

 seen blue crabs before. Those from the 

 western state of Sinaloa spend a week on 

 a bus traveling to North Carolina. 



The women have a simple explana- 

 tion for why they come so far and make 

 sacrifices such as leaving behind young 

 children. 



La necesidad. There are no jobs for 

 them in Mexico. 



Their sense of devotion to their fami- 

 lies' futures encourages them to leave 

 home for six months or more. This goes 

 against the machismo Mexican culture, 

 where the woman's place is in the home. 

 Yet these women strike out against cul- 



tural convention and, in many cases, 

 unsympathetic husbands. 



These "guest workers" have a 

 limited time in the states, less than one 

 year. Also, they are limited to working 

 for a single employer. 



Bringing migrant workers is not 

 easy, from the complicated federal appli- 

 cations to the upkeep on housing for the 

 workers. "All this paperwork wipes out 

 your winter," Buck says. 



But without local workers, owners 

 see no other choice. "There is such a de- 

 cline, you can't keep operating without 

 them," Buck says. 



• • • 



All crab plants have 

 one identifying aspect 

 — the smell. 

 This rru.it of the sea 

 has a strong aroma, 

 which mixes with 

 the scent or 

 disinfectant required 

 hy health inspectors. 

 orL'ers and visitors 

 forget about the smell 

 while there is 

 work? at hand, 

 but the scent lin gers 



in hair and clothes. 



• • • 



About six years ago, a few North 

 Carolina processors applied to the Immi- 

 gration and Naturalization Service to 

 bring guest workers. They brought about 

 30 women to work during the picking 

 season that runs from May through 

 November. 



Word of the success spread quickly, 

 and more owners ventured into the for- 

 eign labor market. To qualify, the owners 

 had to file a request with the state Em- 

 ployment Security Commission showing 

 that they had been unable to find local 

 workers. 



For example, Buck told the state she 

 needed 60 new workers this season. The 



ESC sent her three. After several months, 

 she was approved to fill up to 57 slots 

 with Mexican workers for the season. 



This spring, the state processed re- 

 quests for more than 1,400 crab pickers. 

 The actual number of workers brought in 

 tends to be lower. Employers seek autho- 

 rization for more workers, speculating on 

 the possibility of a high-volume picking 

 season. 



Unlike the H2A program for agricul- 

 tural workers, the processors are not re- 

 quired to provide housing. But in rural 

 areas, rental housing is sparse, especially 

 for dozens of women who come for the 

 season. 



Thus, Mexican workers live in hous- 

 ing provided by the owners close to the 

 plant. By early May, 19 employers had 

 registered housing. The state inspects 

 housing to assure it meets standards set 

 by the Occupational Health and Safety 

 Administration. 



The arrival of the Mexican workers 

 has not always been smooth. A pair of 

 federal lawsuits filed in 1991 showed that 

 some employers didn't meet federal 

 minimum wage standards, didn't pay 

 overtime and overcharged workers for 

 housing. 



For example, one plant owner was 

 charging $120 per woman per month for 

 housing in mobile homes or a former 

 hunting lodge, where the women lived 

 three or four to a room. Under the settle- 

 ment agreement, the housing allowance 

 was limited to $8.95 per week. The work- 

 ers received a refund of the $21.05 differ- 

 ence for each week of lodging. 



After the lawsuits were settled, in- 

 dustry officials met with federal labor 

 officials last year to suggest a voluntary 

 audit of records for other plants that had 

 not been part of the lawsuits. 



As a result, dozens of companies 

 paid thousands of dollars in back wages 

 to workers, said Jim Whitmer of the fed- 

 eral Wage and Hour Division office in 

 Raleigh. 



The women are paid by the pound, 

 from $1.65 to an occasional high of $2. If 

 the workers do not pick fast enough to 

 make minimum wage, the owner must 

 make up the difference. 



Continued 



4 JULY/AUGUST 1994 



