Good Fruit Grower

January 15

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Refugees available for orchard work Refugees are legal and can work for the same wages and conditions as domestic workers. by Geraldine Warner F or growers who find the H-2A foreign guest- worker program too daunting, hiring refugees might be a way to ease labor shortages. World Relief is one of ten organization that con- tract with the U.S. Department of Labor to help refugees who come to the United States get settled and find jobs. Mark Kadel, director of World Relief's office in Spokane, Washington, said his organization works with growers to supply them with qualified and legal workers. "They are here, and they are legal from the moment they step off the airplane, because they've been invited by our state department to become our new Americans," he said during a recent work-force summit meeting presented by the Washington Farm Labor Association. World Relief serves as a liaison between refugees and employers, at no charge to the employer. Refugees can work on a seasonal basis or full time. "You treat them like any other employee," Kadel said. No visas or sponsorships are necessary, and the refugees can work for the same wages and terms of employment as domestic workers. Dmitru Chaban, a for- mer refugee now working as World Relief's employment program manager in Spokane, said all that the refugees want is a job. "They don't expect a lot." Kadel said there are 15.7 million refugees worldwide. Last year, the United States accepted 59,000 refugees into the country. The ceiling for the coming year is 75,000. To qualify for entry into the United States, refugees must prove they have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country. Most refugees would like to go back to the countries from which they fled, but after languishing for many years in refugee camps, this is not always possible. 26 JANUARY 15, 2012 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com

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