💼Cotton pickers in California face low wages and insecure employment.
⚖️Workers are affected by crooked scales used to weigh their bags of picked cotton.
💰Cotton picking provides only enough earnings for decent meals, but not for long-term savings.
🌬️Cotton fluff causes discomfort and health issues for the workers.
❄️Workers struggle to save for the winter due to low wages and inconsistent work.
What challenges do cotton pickers in California face?
—Cotton pickers in California face low wages, crooked scales, and difficulty saving for the winter.
How much do cotton pickers typically earn?
—Cotton pickers typically earn enough for decent meals, but not enough for long-term savings.
What health issues do cotton pickers encounter?
—Cotton fluff causes discomfort and can get into the workers' noses, leading to health problems.
How long does cotton picking work last?
—Cotton picking work is often inconsistent and doesn't last long.
Why is cotton picking not sustainable?
—Cotton picking is not sustainable because of the low wages and lack of long-term savings.
00:09Chapter 27 of The Grapes of Wrath introduces placards and handbills advertising for cotton pickers in California.
00:19Workers must buy bags for a dollar to put the picked cotton in, which are then weighed by the scale man.
00:37As more migrants arrive, cotton camps are set up and cotton fluff causes discomfort to workers.
00:47Cotton farms keep advertising for more workers, leading to competition among workers for cotton picking roads.
01:01Cotton picking provides only enough earnings for decent meals, but not for long-term savings.
