stoop labor

noun

1. the physical labor associated with the cultivation or picking of crops in farm fields, especially as performed by poorly paid, unskilled workers.

Word History and Origins

Origin of stoop labor¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Idioms and Phrases

Back-bending manual work, especially farm work. For example, They had us picking peas all day, and that's too much stoop labor. [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

The next generation is the key: Will the influx of remittances allow Comachuen’s young adults to build a life in Mexico, instead of doing stoop labor in U.S. fields?

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Mensalvas says he and the others had listened to the recruiters for stoop labor in U.S. farms — in Hawaii, or on the West Coast — or maybe canneries in Alaska.

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It was hard work, though—Hatsue and her sisters would do a lot of it in their lives—stoop labor performed in the direct sun.

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People show up for work cutting lettuce etc., stoop labor, and they last about half a day before they quit.

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Pickers perform stoop labor for up to 10 hours a day; rarely get health insurance, despite chronic back injuries; and earn an average of only $8,500 for a seven-month season.

Read more on Time Magazine Archive