Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/668668
10 MAY 1, 2016 Good Fruit Grower www.goodfruit.com G rowers and labor groups in Washington must follow a new procedure to gain approval for temporary worker housing for foreign guest workers. This year, housing applicants must have zero site deficiencies, minor or major, before the U.S. Department of Labor will certify the facility to be used as housing for workers visiting under the H-2A visa. To make sure they receive their approval on time, the state Department of Health, charged with licensing all temporary hous- ing facilities, has recommended all applicants apply 90 days ahead of their federal certification deadline, which is already 30 days before they are allowed to move in their workers. In the past, growers had been receiving both a state license and federal certification even if they had minor infractions, such as a missing screen door or burned out light bulbs. This year, the state Employment Security Department, which contracts with the federal government for H-2A certification, is insisting on fol- low-up inspections to verify full compliance. Employment Security Department officials have agreed to handle the follow-up inspections of minor issues themselves because the Department of Health has only two field inspectors to handle 500 inspections and complaint investigations per year, said Nancy Tyson, executive director of the health professions and facilities for the Department of Health. As a result of the procedure changes, many growers will not be able to host their H-2A workers until later than the date they planned, possibly meaning work in the orchards will begin late. "We have millions of dollars on the line," said Mike Gempler, executive director of the Washington Growers League, a Yakima-based labor association. One grower will receive his employees 20 days late due to some burned out or missing light bulbs, said Dan Fazio, executive director of WAFLA, an Olympia- based labor group. H-2A housing cHAnGes New regulations are causing delays for incoming workers. by Ross Courtney But the music was good, he admitted. At Sage Bluff, televised Mexican League soccer games pack the dining hall. Brender Creek has no TV, one of the residents' first complaints when comparing the two locations. Generally speaking, residents favor units that allow as much privacy, cooking space and security for personal belongings as possible. Managers sometimes respond to accusations of theft of food and pots and pans, prompting the Growers League to install refrigerators inside the bedrooms. Basketball courts and grassy areas for soccer are well used. Opening date at both Growers League facilities var- ies year to year based on demand. Both accept walk-in traffic — individuals or families just looking for work — and reservations. Walk-ins cost $8 per night per bed. Reserving beds, which employers often do, costs $9 per bed. Sage Bluff, built in 2007, sees about half of each. Photos by Ross CouRtney/Good FRuit GRoweR Brothers Daniel, left, and Alberto Morales, tenants of the Brender Creek farm worker housing facility in Cashmere, Washington, cook dinner after a day of pruning pears near Wenatchee in March. Whether growers hire domestic migrants or H-2A foreign guest workers, temporary housing needs are becoming more pronounced and more tightly regulated. ORSat™ is a custom designed satellite communication network and service for managing, operation and monitoring of wind machines. ORSat™ allows growers to monitor and control wind machines, fuel tanks, and weather stations with just a few simple steps, via an Internet enabled device, and is the only solution available that integrates with the Orchard-Rite® Auto-Start. The overall goal of the ORSat™ system is to partner with growers to make frost protection more effi cient, economical & eff ective than ever before. We operate 14 wind machines on 325 acres of apples and cherries spread out over 3 miles. In the past it was diffi cult to confi rm that our wind machines started, ran, and shut down appropriately during the course of a cold night. The ORSat System changed all that. Now we have the ability to start and stop our machines remotely, saving us money on fuel, labor and maintenance. ORSat also notifi es us when the machines are starting and stopping via the Auto-Start, and warns us of any problems. The ORSat System gives us yet another layer of protection above and beyond the Auto-Start and the Wind Machines themselves. " It provides us peace of mind on long, cold nights." "ORSat puts frost protection at our fi ngertips." --Marcus & John Griggs 1611 W Ahtanum Union Gap WA 98903 Phone: (509) 457-9196 3766 Iroquois Wenatchee WA 98801 Phone:(509) 662-2753 ORSat ™ -- another innovative product from Orchard-Rite ®