Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/705612
22 AUGUST 2016 Good Fruit Grower www.goodfruit.com with ladders, some are reluctant to hitch their fortunes to a group. Also, Stemilt deploys the platforms at night, when workers would rather spend time with their families. Still, some employees simply don't believe they will make as much money on a platform than with ladders, a concern that grows smaller each season as more workers prove otherwise. A few fear falling from the machines, but not many. Local, H-2A worker differences Bernardo Reyes, Stemilt's Quincy orchard manager, understands the reluc- tance to rely on a team, especially if work- ers are really fast on their own. He grew up picking fruit at piece rate, starting at age 14. He recalls jockeying for position in a row neighboring another fast picker to push himself, almost as if they were racing. "If they work picking, it's because they're really good," Reyes said. Reyes and Torres notice a big difference between the attitudes of the local employees and the H-2A guest workers. The H-2A workers adapt pretty quickly; the locals are the reluctant ones. "They don't want to give it a chance, to try it," said Reyes, 32, who lives on the farm with his family. Reyes and Torres suspect that H-2A workers travel and live as a unit and psycho- logically adjust to teamwork more easily. Tips to help convince workers G rowers, orchard employees and experts offered a few tips for how to convince workers to use platforms: —Pay extra. Stemilt has offered bonuses to convince workers to work from platforms and even larger bonuses to use them at night. —Recruit workers who have made more money using platforms to tell their story to the reluctant ones. —Invite seasoned workers and crew supervisors to conferences. —Stress safety. Platforms reduce falls. —Give the platform crews some level of autonomy. Stemilt lets the workers form their own platform crews and occasionally allows them to vote off a team member they don't believe is pulling his or her own weight. From left, Alejandro Salcido, Jesus Ventura and Anael Ruiz carefully place ripe SweeTango apples into a bin on top of an automated platform in a Stemilt orchard in Quincy, Washington, in 2014. Harvesting on platforms requires employees to pool their earnings and split them evenly, which some are reluctant to do. 100% Employee Owned & Operated (800) 653-2216 • www.ovs.com ML910-01-129843-8 What Sets OVS Apart? Growers Supplies • Equipment Parts & Service • Full Agronomic Services MacroBins ® • American Made • Easily Cleaned • Can be Sterilized • High Quality Polypropylene • Interlock Stacking • Various Sizes • Vented or Solid VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON AVAILABLE MODELS AND PRICING! Convenient Oregon & Washington Locations Aurora - McMinnville - Medford - Salem, OR Lynden - Pasco, WA