A Field Guide to Labor

Workin' 9 to 5

Field Guide Vol. 228

This Monday the U.S. celebrates Labor Day, a federal holiday recognizing the country’s labor movement and honoring the achievements and contributions of workers. While organized labor has struggled in the U.S. over the last several decades, the fight for workers’ rights has been an ongoing battle in countries around the world. This week’s Field Guide recognizes workers across the world as well as the labor movements that support them.

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Alfredo. Meta. 2019. Photograph by Maria Gomez Cabrera.

An Artificial Peace

Farmers who once relied on coca struggle to survive

By Julian Isaza, translated by Katy Van Sant

Luis, a short, toothless man with long gray hair, shows us his hectare. He says it’s beautiful and smiles proudly. The coca plants are chest-high and the branches bear fruits that are deep red, like peppers. He pulls one off and examines it. He explains in a soft voice, little more than a whisper, that this one—pringa maría—gives the highest yield because it produces the most alkaloid. “One hectare produces about two kilos of paste. We process the paste ourselves,” he says. “You get two kilos from one and a quarter tons of leaves. You can sell two kilos for four million.”