Author discusses Long Island migrant labor camps

Mark A. Torres discussed his upcoming book with Hofstra students and faculty. // Photo courtesy of the Hofstra Cultural Center.

Mark A. Torres, attorney, advocate, author and general counsel to Teamsters Union Local 810 discussed his upcoming book, “Long Island Migrant Labor Camps: Dust for Blood,” during an event held on Zoom hosted by the Hofstra Cultural Center on Thursday, Nov. 4.  

This event was presented by Hofstra’s Labor Studies and the Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS) program in collaboration with the Long Island Jobs with Justice. In attendance were several labor studies, rhetoric and public advocacy professors and students. Torres stated that the purpose of his book is to “identify the labor camps that existed in Suffolk County during the twentieth century, discuss the impact on the inhabitants of these camps and the surrounding communities, introduce outspoken critics of the migrant labor camps as well as the labor system practiced at the time and to explain the factors that led to the ultimate decline of the camps.”  

Torres also said that the story of the labor camps cannot be told “without a basic understanding of the importance of agriculture – mostly the potato.”   

“[The] Suffolk County Farming Bureau created an industry out of the agricultural success [of the potato],” Torres said, “and it was formed for the collective interest of the growers.” This success in agricultural output resulted in high demand for labor. 

As a labor attorney, Torres stated that he was interested in the laws that permitted the operation of the migrant labor system. Torres cited the most relevant labor law of that time that still exists today, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), was established in 1935. Although this law was created to protect labor workers and improve their conditions, Torres said that it is not entirely effective. “Sadly both then and as of today, agricultural workers are specifically excluded from the NLRA,” Torres said. 

Torres also said that this system persisted because most workers were out-of-state citizens and did not have voting rights. Due to the “need to accommodate [a] thousand migrant workers during the harvest seasons,” New York state began using mobile labor camps, which led to the rise of the labor camp era. 

Torres further explained that the general conditions of the camps are “best described from poor to terrible.” He then described camp conditions by retelling the stories he had heard from interviewing citizens who had lived in labor camps during that time. For instance, he described the inflated prices that workers had to pay to obtain food, living expenses and a school for migrant children that was not in “optimal conditions for learning.”

Torres then shifted to describing the economic system of the labor camps as a “cycle of perpetual debt.” He explained that crew leaders would exploit workers’ labor and remove large amounts of their paychecks due to “hidden fees,” such that workers received “low earnings.” His book describes the themes of “theft, violence, manipulation and exploitation” that were prominent in the labor camps. 

“I [think] it is crucial to discuss and inform people about migrant labor camps,” said Manpreet Kaur, a freshman biology major. “It was quite disheartening to learn about how the crew leaders were taking advantage of the workers.” 

Torres concluded by speaking about the psychological effects and the toll that camp life had on migrant workers. Aside from the low life expectancy and the hazardous work conditions, he said there were “simple things” that could have helped the workers, such as health care. Fortunately, he noted that in 2020, New York state passed the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act that “enabled many farmworkers to enjoy benefits in joining a union, wages and conditions.”  

Dr. Mary Anne A. Trasciatti, a professor of rhetoric and public advocacy, regarded the topic of the migrant labor camps as “a really timely subject” and said, “I think we really need to mark this history.” 

Raquel Brown, a freshman engineering major, said she found the presentation very informing and valued the “insight on the migrant labor camps.” 

Torres’ book is the first to cover the dark and complex history of the migrant labor camps that endured for more than half a century and explore the labor system that existed during that time. His book will be published on March 22, 2021, by The History Press.