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Title: El contrato Reference: Director & writer, Min Sook Lee; producer
Karen King-Chigbo. Abstract: Follows Teodoro Bello Martinez, a poverty-stricken father of four living in Central Mexico, and several of his countrymen as they make an annual migration to southern Ontario to pick tomatoes for conditions and wages no local will accept. Library of Congress subjects: Sociology subjects: Reviews and Numerical Ratings (3) This documentary on Mexican migrant agricultural workers in Ontario reveals the questionable basis of the agreement between the Mexican and Canadian governments and their unwillingness to seriously address the poor social conditions of the workers. The bleak, exploitative situation the workers find themselves in is both exposed and humanized through personal interviews. The film is both factual and emotional, without being overly romantic or sensational, and offers a wider global vision based on respect for human rights and dignity. Worth every 50 minutes, but shorter segments would also work for classroom use. Morgan Poteet (2) This documentary provokes sentiments of empathy and generates an impulse to initiate fundamental, structural changes to the harsh working conditions that migrant workers experience in Leamington, Ontario. In this documentary, it is demonstrated how migrant workers are immobile, alienated from the community, the stigma and social exclusion they experience, the inadequate working conditions and housing, abuse from the employer, and how the law is fragmented in terms of providing protection and mitigating the harsh experiences they endure. The quality of this documentary is underpinned by its limited emphasis to contributing factors like globalization, and the coercive and forced labor conditions of capitalism, which are fundamental reasons that compel individuals to become migrant workers. Carlos Torres (undergraduate) (3.5) This video was under a distribution ban because of a legal complaint filed by the agricultural employers, but now we can show it! The number of temporary workers admitted by Canada has increased dramatically over the last 10 years. These workers typically do not have the full range of rights that landed immigrants have (think of domestic workers). This video is a useful tool for showing how Mexican migrant workers who come under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (which also brings workers from the Caribbean) work under “unfree” conditions. In order to qualify to come to Canada, they have to have spouses back home (to minimize the risk of their settling here permanently). Once they come, they are tied to specific employers who can blacklist them for future work if they behave in any way that does not please the employer; their entitlements to benefits are limited; they are not allowed to organize, much less bargain collectively; and their consulate provides minimal assistance. The film shows the emotional difficulty of family separation for the workers, who spend an average of 8 months a year in Canada, their social isolation, and the extent to which their conditions depend on the employer. It also shows how communities are slow to see migrant workers as members of the community, rather than as temporary foreigners. However, because it shows a small sample of workers, the film can't address how representative their experiences are in some other regards. For example, we don't see how much variation in how employers exercise discretion over the working & living conditions of workers (which may at times be better than those shown here), and we don't learn whether it makes a difference whether one’s employer is closer to larger towns with services and advocacy groups. The film should certainly give everyone pause when they consider the price they pay for fruits and vegetables from southern Ontario. A good companion website for this video is: www.justicia4migrantworkers.org. Luin Goldring (3) A serious & informative video that provides
insights into the role of both Mexican and Canadian states in migrant
farmworkers’ struggles with horrible working conditions, and,
to a lesser extent, into the response of others in a town to the migrant
community. You certainly won’t want to eat tomatoes after you
see this. Kathy Bischoping
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