MONTGOMERY, Al.
Some jobless Alabamians have been eager to volunteer for a new state program that tries to link the unemployed up with seasonal farm jobs being vacated by illegal immigrants.
Employers have been slower to respond.
As of this week, 256 people have signed up with the unemployment offices as willing to do temporary agriculture jobs. Three employers with a total of 39 jobs available have signed up for the program.
"We've got willing workers," said Tom Surtees, director of the Department of Industrial Relations.
"We want to help (employers). Whatever we can do to provide them with applicants, we will," Surtees said.
The Department of Industrial Relations started the program in the wake of the labor void employers say was caused by Alabama's sweeping new immigration law. Surtees said it's similar to what the state did to find workers to remove tar balls on Alabama beaches or remove debris after storms.
On the state's employment service website -- joblink.alabama.gov -- job seekers can sign up if they are interested in temporary agriculture jobs and employers can list available work.
"We have been working very hard to get the word out to people who haven't used us before ... Our focus is to get Alabamians back to work," Surtees said.
He said employers who sign up with the program will get a list of people willing to do farm or agriculture work in their county, or state workers can notify job seekers of opportunities.
Framers, landscapers and others have complained that workers, both illegal and legal, have fled since the immigration law went into effect. A 2010 report from the Pew Hispanic Center estimated that illegal immigrants made up 5.1 percent of Alabama's work force.
Cullman sweet potato farmer Keith Smith said he has not had trouble finding people who want to do the work. His problem is finding people who are able, he said.
Smith said he has 10 or more people a day calling him saying they are willing to do the farm work, but he said most quit after a few hours because it is such intense labor.
"Most American workers aren't in good enough shape. They can't do this work. You get two, three or four hours out of them, and they're gone. They say they can't do this no more," Smith said.
He said he has heard of the state program, but he hasn't tried it because he doesn't think he will get any better quality workers.
"I ain't signed up for it. Why should I call them when I've got people calling me?" Smith said.
Smith, who freely admits he used illegal immigrants to pick sweet potatoes, said three-quarters of his crop is still in the field after his workers moved away.
"We ought to be half done or better by now," he said. Smith, who is a strong critic of the immigration law, said his crop will rot in the first freeze of the year.
Rejects notion
Surtees said he rejects the idea that Alabamians aren't willing or able to do the difficult work.
"I think the governor referred to that the other day as insulting," Surtees said.
"I'm hearing only the Hispanics can do this. Well, I'm saying who did it before them? Alabamians did," Surtees said.
Surtees and Smith do agree on one thing. People are looking for work in the tough economy.
Smith said he has found a few workers, including at least one he was surprised to be interested in working in fields and chicken houses.
"One guy, he's got a degree in computer science or something, and he's tickled to have a job," Smith said.
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