Prologue

Abstract

Jose Martinez wakes up at 4 a.m. to ensure he is on time for a ride to the fields. After a quick breakfast, Jose meets his raitero, the driver of a van that carries seven workers to fields up to two hours away. Arriving at the orchard at 6:30 a.m., Jose will work four hours, take a break, work another two hours and, after a half-hour lunch and an afternoon break, quit at 3:30 p.m. and make the drive back to the mobile home he shares with his wife and three children. Jose earns California’s 2019 minimum wage of $12 an hour or $96 for an eight-hour day, but was away from home thirteen hours. He paid $10 for the ride to and from work....