Alienation and Precarious Contract Academic Staff in the Age of Neoliberalism

“They’s a big son-of-a-bitch of a peach orchard I worked in. Takes nine men all the year roun’...Takes three thousan’ men for two weeks when them peaches is ripe. Got to have ‘em or them peaches’ll rot. So what do they do? They send out han’bills all over hell. They need three thousan’, an’ they get six thousan’. They get them men for what they wanta pay. If ya don’t wanta take what they pay, goddamn it, they’s a thousan’ men waitin’ for your job.” (Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath 218).