There is no such thing as unskilled labor

Every job has a value, and every type of work takes skill. Saying a type of work requires unskilled labor is elitist and demeaning.

Julie Lind, executive secretary-treasurer of the San Mateo Labor Council happens to agree. According to Lind, there are a number of reasons someone might take a job as a farmworker, or in the service or hospitality sector. They might be newer to this country, doing it for the skills or experience, for the flexible work schedule, for tips or for access to training.

“Many are workers of color, and the inference is that they are less skilled or less intelligent because they do physical menial tasks rather than a ‘fancy pants’ job in an office,” Lind said.

The physical aspect of many jobs is where skill actually comes in. Farmworkers have incredible finesse and skill. I once saw farmworkers in the fields outside Salinas popping off artichokes with a knife and flipping them over their head into a large basket on their back over and over and over again with an efficiency of a master. A server in a restaurant has physical, social and mental skills in navigating the kitchen, floor, customers and co-workers. The person who cleans an office makes the mundane efficient and has the responsibility of ensuring sanitary conditions. There is more skill to it than that, but only those doing the job know it. Each of these jobs provide value to our community, often more so than some other higher paying jobs. There is no such thing as an unskilled worker. The term should be retired.

All workers should be considered as the same class, with the same protections and needs. We should have standards for all work, regardless of type and ensure people have good opportunities and safe workplaces in every instance. As Lind puts it, “That is why the labor movement exists.”

So what is needed? For Lind, there are a couple of paths forward. She believes a newly named county task force on farmworker housing should include labor and farmworkers. She sees the need for culturally competent in-language services in a central clearing location: like core service agencies or employment agencies. She would also like to see the creation of an Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement to look at wage theft and ensure compliance with living wages and prevailing wages. Having active, not passive, enforcement with a complaint line will ensure safe work environments for all, Lind believes.

I would add that there should be rules for any employer-provided housing. As employers of all types, from private to government, get more creative in ways to draw and retain workers, there will be increased instances of employer-provided housing. There should be oversight and regulation when it comes to that relationship, especially around tenant/worker rights and disputes.

All work should be treated equally, with full rights for everyone. No work is less or more than any other. If we can create more opportunities for equal rights and treatment, we will all be better off.

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Some readers took issue with the photo we selected of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein for our print story about her deciding not to run for reelection. It shows her smiling and talking to reporters on the day of the announcement. Some readers said it was unflattering and that we should have used a different photo, perhaps of her younger. The photo shows her doing her job on the day of the announcement, and she happens to be 89. There should be no shame in depicting someone at their current age, especially a woman. If President Joe Biden were to announce he was not running for reelection, we would also run a photo from the day of the announcement. No one would ever ask us to run a photo of him when he was younger.

Jon Mays is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com. Follow Jon on Twitter @jonmays.