The almost mythical “paleta man” — the guy who strolls down the streets and highways with a little cart full of popsicles, ringing a bell — has become a fixture in this country. His image, I think, puts a face on the struggle of new immigrants to the U.S. Start with nothing, do some very hard work and barely scrape by.

In the age of the internet it seems that most of the conversations about immigration are happening online. The timeliness is great, but at times the discourse lacks depth. Luckily, there are still people taking the time to research and write books that tell stories. BeyondChron.org reviews a book that tells the story of the paleta man and other immigrant workers in California’s Silicon Valley:’

Turns out that in 1993, the Delicias de Jalisco corporation had a sweet thing going it selling its products through largely undocumented Mexican immigrants throughout Northern California. The worker had to pay $2.00 a day for the pushcart and ice, and kept only 33 cents of every 75 cent popsicle sold. After working for eight hours in the hot sun, and pushing the cart for five miles, the street peddler on a good day would make $40.00. Arturo, the immigrant whose daily activities are described in the book, could make $200 a week, as much as he was making working for a non-union janitorial company.

To earn this subsistence income, Arturo had to forego eating, as his food would get too cold if stored in the cart and too hot if allowed out in the sun. Bathroom breaks depended on his running into friends who could watch the cart while he ran into their apartments.

As hard as Arturo worked, his income depended heavily on weather conditions and if he got sick, he earned no money. The economic structure of the paleta business led other companies to open, multiplying the number of Arturo’s competitors. Although steady jobs were plentiful at that time in the electronics industry, and Arturo had the skill to be a self-employed operator of an ice cream truck, his undocumented status prevented him from obtaining these positions.

Maybe Rush Limbaugh should pick up a copy of this book. Or maybe you should: go to UC Press and get one.

Via / BeyondChron.org

Image via Homies