Apple pie for Thanksgiving? These workers make it possible

Daily Kos Staff

Thursday November 24, 2022

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9:00 AM PST

2022/11/24

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09:00

Apple pie is a Thanksgiving classic. Maybe you put apples in your stuffing or in a salad. As you do these things, you might think of the hour you spent picking apples at an orchard as a fun fall activity for the family, sitting down for mulled cider and cider donuts when you were done.

Picking apples is a very different thing for the workers who do it for a living.

A quick break in the weather in Sodus NY shows the beauty of the apple orchards that are ready to be picked. Farm workers will converge on this field and pick these apples for an hourly wage. Many will not speak English, be far from home and miss their loved ones. #WeFeedYou pic.twitter.com/Ax6MwIAiNC

— United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) September 30, 2022

It’s often not an hourly wage:

Harvesting apples piece rate is the standard in upstate NY. This necessitates workers rushing up & down 18 foot ladders to make enough to feed their families. At this time of year it’s often damp and cold and sadly we’ve heard stories of workers falling off ladders. #WeFeedYou pic.twitter.com/oqeGI1G4El

— United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) November 13, 2022

It’s peak season in the apples west of Rochester NY. Workers at this farm earn $1 per bushel (56 lbs). Being paid piece rate means they have to rush up & down ladders with 30-40lb bags to harvest rapidly. It’s dangerous work, as falling is a very real possibility. #WeFeedYou pic.twitter.com/w0QOzigVZ2

— United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) October 12, 2022

Compare what workers are paid to what you pay for apples:

How much do you pay for a pound of apples in the supermarket? $1-4 a lb depending on variety. Outrageously the workers who harvest these apples in upstate New York usually get paid piece rate only earning $18 to $20 for a 900 lb crate of apples. #WeFeedYou pic.twitter.com/2vdSidUPob

— United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) November 15, 2022

Harvesting isn’t the only work that goes into growing apples, of course:

Lily wakes up before the sun rises & heads to the orchards. In spring she ties branches to ensure the apples don’t weigh them down. Anyone who has harvested apples knows they are heavy, especially when you’re carrying a 50 lb bag of them from your shoulders. #WeFeedYou pic.twitter.com/guKKouBbJg

— United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) May 21, 2022

Everything you eat on Thanksgiving (and every other day) has stories behind it like these. Remember them.

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Apple pie for Thanksgiving? These workers make it possible

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