In contrast to stories I've heard about tiny, rat-infested houses with broken ovens and dirty water, this country home seems more like a palace. Inside we greet 18 workers ranging from middle age to their early twenties, finishing dinner in a big dining room or enjoying some TV on plush brown couches.

"He gives us everything," one resident said of their boss. "We are doing more than good."

Comfortable living conditions and good relations with their boss aren't the only things that prevent this crew from considering union representation though.

In their experience, they tell me, Mexican unions take dues and give little in return. Moreover, during their recruitment Mexican State Employment Service employees told them to avoid Canadian unions.

"They explain to you there, since they start doing our papers, they say that they send you here under an agreement, that the unions are a complete different thing and that people don't see that well," contributes Alex, one of the most vocal in the group, from across the room.

Before leaving, I ask the group about family, their life back home and what they want from their work here. According to this group, all that matters is that they're allowed back to work every year.

"People take care so they can come back," says an older, sun-darkened gentleman. "We always want to come back."

This last comment represents a universal desire among workers we talked to. Even those we spoke with who had grievances with their employer would rather put their head down and work so they might be able to get their job back next year. Overwhelmingly, workers we spoke with throughout the season gave us the impression that at the end of the day, they don't want to ally with the labour movement.

They only want to work here.

Hard times in the orchard

Jobs like tree pruning and fruit picking can't be mechanized. They require manual labour, Joe Sardinha, apple farmer and president of the BC Fruit Growers' Association (BCFGA) tells me over coffee at a crowded Tim Horton's in Penticton.

In addition to labour shortages, three years of low returns plague his fruit growers. They are losing to U.S. growers with lower costs of production and more subsidies, evidence that NAFTA policies are still wreaking havoc, says Sardinha. He envies the supply management regulations enjoyed by the poultry and dairy industries.

Labour remains a necessary but high overhead cost for farmers, he tells me, so those with large acreage hire through SAWP. They get a steady, reliable workforce willing to deliver crops quickly and unbruised. He knows some employers violate program rules, but Sardinha says yearly pre-inspections of on-farm housing conditions and occasional visits from the Mexican consulate are checks that are already in place. Thanks to new program policy, negligent employers are placed on a public blacklisting website, and disqualified from the program. That is "enough of a lesson right there for everyone else to behave themselves," says Sardinha.

Collective bargaining for migrant orchard workers is something he'd just as soon not talk about. "That's just what you want to do to farmers... unionize," he mocks.

Union demands could increase labour costs for Okanagan farmers beyond recent hikes in the provincial minimum wage at a time when profit margins are low already. Certifying a farm would also weigh overworked employers down with more administration and red tape, he argues.

"We already have so many disadvantages versus the United States, we don't need another one," Sardinha says.

Valued workers

After four years, the workers returning again this season to the pear and apple orchard run by Patti and Sam Dimarias are an invaluable asset, Patti tells me. They're trained, ambitious and help their orchard run efficiently enough to turn a profit in time when margins for fruit growers have gotten slimmer.

"There's deadlines for certain varieties to get to the packing house," said Dimarias. "If you're late it goes into a different category, so... there are fees involved with the airfares... but the longer you can keep them here, the cheaper it gets for you."

Their situation works because it's reciprocal. Their employees work hard, but the Dimarias provide comfortable cabins inspected every year by government contractors, phones lines and a vehicle for them to drive. They've even sponsored one of their longtime workers, Pedro, to gain permanent residency through the provincial nominee program, which has allowed his family to immigrate from Mexico.

Why anyone would treat employees they bring at some cost from abroad inhumanely is beyond her. As for the union... "There's no need for it," said Dimarias. And besides, "We're kind of anti-union, we feel like we treat them well."

Trying the basics: talk

Back over the Coquihalla, in a small living room on the edge of Ladner that doubles as a bedroom at night, Ernesto and his roommates share a story.

When they had a workplace issue to address at their farm this spring, rather than seek the help of the consulate or a union rep, they opted for the novel approach of talking to their employer themselves.

Amongst their crew of 30 they decided that paycheques were a little low and they could use a little more work. After all, they don't come to Canada to waste time. One day, as a group, they approached their foreman with a request to work Saturdays. Working an extra day would help them pay for groceries and phone cards, or it could be a little more money to wire home.

A little stunned by their audacity, a foreman reported the request to their boss, the owner of the farm. After some contemplation he agreed to the extra day and an additional half hour every day. "With what we did, we see that it works, that he was accessible," said Ernesto. "We saw that if we need more work, maybe he can react in a good way".

Being veterans of the program, and having worked for the same employer for three years, they were mostly confident of their strategy. However, this is Javier's first year in the program, and he feared for his job. "He is still afraid we are going to burn the farm!" teases Carmine from his bed across the living room to the delight of the group.

Was that an act of independent organizing? "Are you a self-made bargaining unit?" I ask, half-joking.

They thought about calling the consulate to advocate for them, but "we did not think about calling the union," said Ernesto.

But not all workers we spoke to felt as Ernesto did. For some the union held greater appeal.

More on B.C.'s migrant workers and union efforts to organize them in our next report, tomorrow.

[Tags: Labour + Industry, Food.]