The migrant farmworkers risking their lives for illegal wages

A migrant worker harvests Burley tobacco grown by Tucker Farms in Finchville, Kentucky.

A few weeks ago, after a grueling day of harvesting tobacco in eastern North Carolina, Zapata returned to the house he shared with other farmworkers and began to vomit uncontrollably. He recalls how his chest hurt, how his muscles ached and how he began sweating profusely — all established signs of severe heat illness that can progress to death. By morning, his symptoms didn’t ease up, but he was reluctant to miss a day’s worth of pay. At just $11.15 per hour, every day counts. 

Originally published on sentientmedia.org, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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