Attention Regional Director, Monty Paradis
The Department of Labor and Industries has as its mandate the task to improve the health and welfare of orchard workers. The relationship of workers and any employer is fundamentally symbiotic. Even though the migrant workers who form the majority of the orchard working population are not termed as full time farm employees, their contractual positions are still deserving of dignified working conditions and terms. Therefore, it is retrogressive for the farms that employ these workers to mistreat them since the business that is orchard farming is intrinsically labor intensive. This should be the principal point of commencing dialogue between the representative bodies from both sides of this labor contention - the United Farm Workers and the farms
The first matter of urgency lies wholly in the control of Regional Administrator Randy Paradis. The incessant and uncoordinated inspection of farms by officials from the Department of Labor and Industries should be curtailed. Already Paradis has in his possession reliable data showing the frequency of accidents that point away from the earlier assertions that harvesting machines were the culprits in causing injury in reference to the case of hop harvesting. This is analogous to reported cases in orchard farming in terms of inconsistencies in data that prove costly later. This therefore informs the decision of initiating a query to the L I Information services mainframe database in Olympia and spending the required twelve thousand dollars. Although the amount is substantial the attendant benefits from possessing the adequate data are many and their effect immediate.
First in mind is the revision of inspection protocols in a two pronged attack that looks at the frequency of these inspections and also the conduct of inspectors during these inspections. It is under the mandate of the Department of Labor and Industries to identify the culprits in worker safety negligence. This will however not be achieved by unfair targeting of certain farmers whose proximity to good roads has now been turned into a curse. This will undoubtedly evolve a much more realistic picture where inspections are more coordinated and targeted evenly across the Yakima regional office.
Secondly, the inspectors themselves need to be thoroughly grilled in the right manner of approach. The adversarial relationships and sentiments noted in the report that this memo is based on show that the inspectors conduct is a huge setback in the path to repairing relations between farmers and the L I department. This is shameful since more humane and courteous conduct would undoubtedly enable more farmers to come forward and assist the L I department in creating better working conditions for migrant workers. The militant attitudes that current inspections carry make farmers respond at best with apathy to any positive efforts made towards them by advocates of migrant worker rights as well as the L I department in good measure. An inspection protocol should thus be developed bearing this new data in mind and the old one should be done away with.
There exits a mind set problem in this setting. There exist a number of inspectors who have reportedly been unprofessional in their conducting of inspections. An administrative unit handling complaints from farmers concerning overzealous inspectors should be set up and with it the mandatory sensitization of inspectors through training on basic courtesy as professional practice should be commenced. This would begin the changing of mindsets and would serve as a good gesture to the farmers who must undoubtedly feel cursed for being in the orchard business at this point.
Deep amongst the prevalent issues being raised by farmers and migrant workers alike is a great erosion of credibility on both sides of the divide. The intervention of various advocacy agencies rubs farmers the wrong way further aggravating a potentially unpleasant situation for workers. There is thus a need for mending these broken bridges and the efforts above show a desire to build goodwill amongst the farmers who ultimately hold the cards in changing working conditions for workers.
Insurance premium costs are significantly met by employers. Paradis should also create a liaison with the central office at Olympia in a bid to make it easier for farmers to obtain deductions on their premiums based on their experience ratings. This would further increase significant savings on the side of the farmers who are undoubtedly facing tough economic times.
The L I consultative offer for a business to request a consultative inspection should also be a significant tool in Paradiss intention of rebuilding relations with farmers. This service should be aggressively sold to farmers in a bid to creating a positive atmosphere for the discussions on worker safety that will ultimately benefit the farmers. It is in fact noted that WISHAs consultative offers are severely under utilized further showing the apathy with which farmers have chosen to keep when inspection concerns are at the fore. The Department of Labor and Industries should be at the fore front of advocating for diplomacy and bringing forth proactive ways of tackling these problems of migrant workers through such consultative efforts. Indeed the December 1997 agreement signed between OSHA and the Department of Labor and Industries calls for, closer coordination between enforcement and consultation targeting efforts (University of Washington).
At this juncture, in the deterioration of relations between farmers, migrant workers and the advocacy institutions, Monty Paradis has only the agencys tools of inspection, consultation and liaison in the case of assisting farmers reduce premiums paid in insurance. These methods will spearhead more intimate relations between well meaning farmers and the Department of Labor and Industries whilst gradually thawing the icy relations that must now exist when workers safety issues are brought up concerning the role of farmers. This is a proactive way to bring sanity to the regulation of workers safety and conditions in orchards.
The first matter of urgency lies wholly in the control of Regional Administrator Randy Paradis. The incessant and uncoordinated inspection of farms by officials from the Department of Labor and Industries should be curtailed. Already Paradis has in his possession reliable data showing the frequency of accidents that point away from the earlier assertions that harvesting machines were the culprits in causing injury in reference to the case of hop harvesting. This is analogous to reported cases in orchard farming in terms of inconsistencies in data that prove costly later. This therefore informs the decision of initiating a query to the L I Information services mainframe database in Olympia and spending the required twelve thousand dollars. Although the amount is substantial the attendant benefits from possessing the adequate data are many and their effect immediate.
First in mind is the revision of inspection protocols in a two pronged attack that looks at the frequency of these inspections and also the conduct of inspectors during these inspections. It is under the mandate of the Department of Labor and Industries to identify the culprits in worker safety negligence. This will however not be achieved by unfair targeting of certain farmers whose proximity to good roads has now been turned into a curse. This will undoubtedly evolve a much more realistic picture where inspections are more coordinated and targeted evenly across the Yakima regional office.
Secondly, the inspectors themselves need to be thoroughly grilled in the right manner of approach. The adversarial relationships and sentiments noted in the report that this memo is based on show that the inspectors conduct is a huge setback in the path to repairing relations between farmers and the L I department. This is shameful since more humane and courteous conduct would undoubtedly enable more farmers to come forward and assist the L I department in creating better working conditions for migrant workers. The militant attitudes that current inspections carry make farmers respond at best with apathy to any positive efforts made towards them by advocates of migrant worker rights as well as the L I department in good measure. An inspection protocol should thus be developed bearing this new data in mind and the old one should be done away with.
There exits a mind set problem in this setting. There exist a number of inspectors who have reportedly been unprofessional in their conducting of inspections. An administrative unit handling complaints from farmers concerning overzealous inspectors should be set up and with it the mandatory sensitization of inspectors through training on basic courtesy as professional practice should be commenced. This would begin the changing of mindsets and would serve as a good gesture to the farmers who must undoubtedly feel cursed for being in the orchard business at this point.
Deep amongst the prevalent issues being raised by farmers and migrant workers alike is a great erosion of credibility on both sides of the divide. The intervention of various advocacy agencies rubs farmers the wrong way further aggravating a potentially unpleasant situation for workers. There is thus a need for mending these broken bridges and the efforts above show a desire to build goodwill amongst the farmers who ultimately hold the cards in changing working conditions for workers.
Insurance premium costs are significantly met by employers. Paradis should also create a liaison with the central office at Olympia in a bid to make it easier for farmers to obtain deductions on their premiums based on their experience ratings. This would further increase significant savings on the side of the farmers who are undoubtedly facing tough economic times.
The L I consultative offer for a business to request a consultative inspection should also be a significant tool in Paradiss intention of rebuilding relations with farmers. This service should be aggressively sold to farmers in a bid to creating a positive atmosphere for the discussions on worker safety that will ultimately benefit the farmers. It is in fact noted that WISHAs consultative offers are severely under utilized further showing the apathy with which farmers have chosen to keep when inspection concerns are at the fore. The Department of Labor and Industries should be at the fore front of advocating for diplomacy and bringing forth proactive ways of tackling these problems of migrant workers through such consultative efforts. Indeed the December 1997 agreement signed between OSHA and the Department of Labor and Industries calls for, closer coordination between enforcement and consultation targeting efforts (University of Washington).
At this juncture, in the deterioration of relations between farmers, migrant workers and the advocacy institutions, Monty Paradis has only the agencys tools of inspection, consultation and liaison in the case of assisting farmers reduce premiums paid in insurance. These methods will spearhead more intimate relations between well meaning farmers and the Department of Labor and Industries whilst gradually thawing the icy relations that must now exist when workers safety issues are brought up concerning the role of farmers. This is a proactive way to bring sanity to the regulation of workers safety and conditions in orchards.
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