Washington state fruit growers say that a ban on bunk beds in farmworker housing would cut their seasonal work force in half, likely leading to food shortages and price hikes.
The price and availability of apples in grocery stores this fall could come down to a critical question on the farm: whether migrant workers should sleep in bunk beds.
Representatives from the United Farm Workers and the powerful farm lobby spent seven hours Wednesday in an online meeting organized by Gov. Jay Inslee’s office to discuss the draft regulations with health, labor and industry officials.“There’s an impending humanitarian crisis here with people with no place to stay,” said Dillon Honcoop, a spokesman for Save Family Farming, a state agricultural organization.
Or, she said, “If you’re on the top bed and, say, talking on a cellphone, larger droplets could fall down.” In Washington, both farmers and labor representatives agree that extra hygiene and distancing measures will be crucial so that farms don’t become the next cruise ships and nursing homes as hot spots for the virus. But they have different visions of what protections are needed for the migrant workers.
“How are we going to get 20-year-old guys who think they’re Superman to socially distance?” he asked.He takes some solace in the fact that the workers tend to be young, strong and from rural areas with healthy diets. His organization requires workers to have vaccination cards for mumps and measles, but no health screenings are conducted as a condition of employment.
Skagit Superior Court Judge Dave Needy declined to step in, other than to direct union and farm representatives to collaborate on devising rules on work conditions and transport, and report back to him on May 14.
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