I wish to correct some inaccurate statements that appeared in the June 20 Record-Bee on the immigration bill.
First of all, I am not the owner of Adobe Creek Packing Company. I do not own a packing company. I am strictly a pear grower and have been for the last twenty-five years.
I did not say that many of my workers are undocumented. I said that there are some undocumented workers in the area who have been trying to become legal permanent residents but have been waiting in line for years for the INS to address their applications. The workers interviewed were not Adobe Creek Packing employees; neither were they all my employees.
Finally, the earnings per day of $150 – $300 are for grape pickers, not pear pickers. The point is, however, that harvest wages are good.
The problem is that the work is seasonal, i.e. temporary, and requires workers to travel from harvest to harvest around the state and many go on up to harvests in Oregon and Washington. That is why we need a “migrant” work force in agriculture. The AgJobs bill provides for seasonal guest workers and includes worker protection provisions.
Diane Henderson
Kelseyville
