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WWL Radio Explains High Crawfish Prices
Posted on 2/19/15 at 6:37 am
Posted on 2/19/15 at 6:37 am
On WWl, this morning, they said that increased crawfish prices, especially for processed tail meat, will be partially due to new government guidelines which mandate that "guest workers" be paid a minimum wage of $12.35 an hour.
They said that this will equate to packaged LA tail meat costing around $3.00 more per lb.
I'm not sure how much "guest workers" are used in harvesting live crawfish or how this will affect their prices.
They said that this will equate to packaged LA tail meat costing around $3.00 more per lb.
I'm not sure how much "guest workers" are used in harvesting live crawfish or how this will affect their prices.
10
Posted on 2/19/15 at 7:01 am to Bayou Tiger Fan Too
Mobbed up crawfish guest worker Union
Posted on 2/19/15 at 7:04 am to Bayou Tiger Fan Too
quote:
new government guidelines which mandate that "guest workers" be paid a minimum wage of $12.35 an hour.
I've never heard of this. Sounds pretty damned corrupt and that we might have heard something in the national media regarding this policy.
In short, sounds like bullshite to me.
ETA: And after some research, it appears true. fricking government. Thanks Democrats...
LINK
This post was edited on 2/19/15 at 7:06 am
Posted on 2/19/15 at 7:04 am to Bayou Tiger Fan Too
High crawfish prices right now are due to the shortage of them.. Spillways obviously not running, and owners are relying strictly on ponds, which you never can predict.
Posted on 2/19/15 at 7:06 am to bak8367
quote:
the Labor Department wants workers to be paid according to more national—not regional or local—standards, and have added union job salaries into the mix. The result is the entry wage for the 3,000 guest workers in Louisiana seafood and hospitality would rise from about $7.35 an hour to about $12.35 an hour, according to Randol. That might drive the price of a meal beyond what consumers would be willing to pay.
“That reflects on about $3 a pound on crawfish tail meat,” Randol says. “That has to be borne by the paying public. Some restaurants may use imports. The public may stop buying.”
Posted on 2/19/15 at 7:16 am to Bayou Tiger Fan Too
I might have to start peeling crawfish on the side for 12 bucks an hour
Posted on 2/19/15 at 7:23 am to Croacka
prices are high for crawfish during lent.
water is wet
LSU lacks a QB
water is wet
LSU lacks a QB
Posted on 2/19/15 at 7:25 am to BugAC
Why would they have a higher minimum wage for foreign workers than for our own people?
Doesn't really make sense, and no, I'm not one of those that thinks the minimum wage should be higher.
Doesn't really make sense, and no, I'm not one of those that thinks the minimum wage should be higher.
Posted on 2/19/15 at 7:25 am to Bayou Tiger Fan Too
quote:
I'm not sure how much "guest workers" are used in harvesting live crawfish or how this will affect their prices.
Make a run through Acadia, st Landry, vermillion and Jeff Davis parishes.... If you are a serious crawfisherman then that's who runs your traps. No longer are there high schoolers running these traps. It's no different than the migrant workers in Cali when they harvest.... I've walked into buildings before and it was like a little Mexican village in there. Nothing but Mexican women peeling crawfish and their children running around. Husbands are out in the fields running the traps...
Pretty crazy considering in the 90s that's how we made a little extra dough.
Posted on 2/19/15 at 7:32 am to Croacka
quote:
Why would they have a higher minimum wage for foreign workers than for our own people?
Your own people won't do the work, so the guest worker's handlers have leverage to lobby the government for higher wages, for which they probably get a cut.
Posted on 2/19/15 at 7:35 am to Geauxld Finger
Taxes
Death
Death
Posted on 2/19/15 at 7:41 am to BottomlandBrew
But do you think our own people would do the work if the wages were 12.xx?
I bet some would change their tune.
Not that they will work anywhere near as hard as the foreigners though.
I bet some would change their tune.
Not that they will work anywhere near as hard as the foreigners though.
Posted on 2/19/15 at 8:01 am to Croacka
quote:
But do you think our own people would do the work if the wages were 12.xx?
Probably. $12.xx sounds like a hell of a good deal to peal crawfish tails.
quote:
Not that they will work anywhere near as hard as the foreigners though.
And there's the problem. Foreigners work crazy fast.
I don't know why they don't pay them based on output like they do with other agricultural commodities. Let's say you get a base wage of minimum wage based on X number of lbs per hour. If you do X+1 lbs per hour, then you get a bump in pay.
Posted on 2/19/15 at 8:23 am to Bayou Tiger Fan Too
This is just a fcking stupid idea by the feds.
Yeah, lets pay unskilled laborers $4 or so more than the market should dictate.
I would imagine that alot of farmers are still going to use illegals and pay them a much lower rate.
Yeah, lets pay unskilled laborers $4 or so more than the market should dictate.
I would imagine that alot of farmers are still going to use illegals and pay them a much lower rate.
Posted on 2/19/15 at 8:30 am to Bayou Tiger Fan Too
quote:
I'm not sure how much "guest workers" are used in harvesting live crawfish or how this will affect their prices.
I live in an area that has numerous processing plants. Local workers cannot be found. You would be amazed at the work these "guests" accomplish per day, which dictate prices.
BTW, next time you order lump crabmeat when dining, some Asian or Hispanic took great care in you not getting shells in your mouth.
Posted on 2/19/15 at 8:32 am to notiger1997
I started to post this yesterday and say they had run out of excuses (cold, hot, wet, dry, etc.) for high crawfish prices so did what everyone else does: Blame Obama!
Here is a longer version of the article linked above. LINK
It looks like the LA folks also screwed themselves by not lining up workers before a cap was reached.
The article suggests this will not be much of a factor except for processed tail meat, which requires much more labor.
There may be foreign labor costs involved in harvesting for live sales, but impact on price of that labor cost should be much less.
Here is a longer version of the article linked above. LINK
It looks like the LA folks also screwed themselves by not lining up workers before a cap was reached.
quote:
Randol said he was in Washington last week explaining to government officials that the spike in wages would hamper the industry. When he returned, he learned that the “cap” on H-2B workers had been reached while discussions had been ongoing on wages. The cap is 66,000 guest workers per year, or 33,000 permits issued twice a year. Those first permits have been issued, probably in other industries that use H-2B guest workers, likely forestry and landscaping, which hire the bulk of H-2B workers.
That means Louisiana processing plants missed their opportunity to hire a workforce for March, April and May, when crawfish is generally harvested. The second wave of 2015 guest workers won’t be available to the plants until the season is largely over.
The article suggests this will not be much of a factor except for processed tail meat, which requires much more labor.
There may be foreign labor costs involved in harvesting for live sales, but impact on price of that labor cost should be much less.
Posted on 2/19/15 at 8:36 am to Twenty 49
So, we're good as far as boils go?
If tail meat goes to $15/lb, that doesn't bother me. Texas housewives butchering étouffée are flush with cash anyway, so this is really a win/win all around.
If tail meat goes to $15/lb, that doesn't bother me. Texas housewives butchering étouffée are flush with cash anyway, so this is really a win/win all around.
Posted on 2/19/15 at 10:19 am to Bayou Tiger Fan Too
It's too hot or cold this season. It's too wet or dry this season. There's too much or too little government input this season.
Posted on 2/19/15 at 10:30 am to Rickety Cricket
quote:
Rickety Cricket
Well, we were having a pretty good informed debate about this specific issue that the OP brought up.
Thanks for your original input on the subject of crawfish prices. We will only see the same post 642 times in the next 3 months.
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