Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 29 O C T O B E R 3 1 , 2 0 1 6 T R A N S P O R TAT I O N / I N F R A S T R U C T U R E F O C U S this: "It's a lot of people," says Norton. " ey arrive in diff erent ways. We have buses that show up. We have cars or vans that show up with large groups of people and usually no spare room in any of them. We have some who come into the Bangor airport, and we pick them up. Our Puerto Rican group doesn't usually travel in personal transportation; it's usu- ally public transportation." As folks arrive, Wyman's year-round staff gets everyone situated with their housing, either in cabins, reserved for families and women, or dormitories, with separate kitchen cabins. Even though most are returnees — some families have been with Wyman's for over 30 years — there's still a couple of days of paperwork and orientation to be done, all handled by Norton, her assistant and their staff of eight. e end of the season is always a bit iff y, being weather-dependent. "Once we get to Labor Day, that's the crucial point," says Norton. "We want to have most of our work completed before that. ese are mostly families, and they have children who need to be in school. We do have a migrant school set up in town, where the kids are bused every day through harvest. But the kids need to be enrolled, at the start of school year, where their families are planning to be." ose plans vary. Many migrants leave for other farms in Maine to harvest early-fall crops, mainly pumpkins, pota- toes or apples. en, once Pennsylvania and New York open for apples, most workers head there. When the apple season fi nishes, they usually go straight back to Florida to start the circuit again. A small number head to California to pick grapes and some go to Texas. Some families stay in Maine, picking apples and then making wreaths. So some of the children attend school in the local district until the end of the wreath season, then families usually return to Florida, or perhaps to Texas, and will enroll their children in school there. Companies mix HR skills with logistics Migrant workers are people who travel to fi nd seasonal work and are unable to return to a permanent home at the end of the workday. Some are born in other countries and some in the United States. Other people who work on Maine farms include Mainers and tribal members, who might leave home for a brief period but have year-round jobs in their hometowns. According to the Maine Department of Labor, a 2012 U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service census says 125 Maine farms reported hiring 2,706 migrant workers; that's about 62% of Maine's paid workforce. Jorge Acero, the Bureau of Employment Services' State Monitor Advocate for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers, outlines a route similar to that described by Norton. ere's another group of traveling agricultural workers: at's guest workers —folks who arrive from other coun- tries to work for a specifi c employer on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' H-2A temporary agricultural worker visas. In 2015, 28 Maine agricul- tural employers fi led for 635 job openings (not all openings are always fi lled). Under this strictly regulated program, employ- ers must fi rst advertise job openings, then can apply for guest workers if they're unable to fi ll the openings. Employers pay for transportation and housing costs. "Someone meets them at the border, say it's Texas, if they're coming from Mexico or, if they're coming from Jamaica, they might fl y into Miami or Atlanta," says Acero. "Once they pass customs, they take a bus up to Maine and the employer meets them at the bus sta- tion in Portland or Bangor with vans and transport them to the farm. e employer provides good housing free of charge" and meals either at a per-day rate set by the U.S. Department of Labor, or access to a fully equipped kitchen. Employees receive a fi rst-week's-wage guarantee, in case there's a delay in the start date. And employers must provide transportation from living quarters to worksite. Most have vans; larger operations have buses. Most guest workers in Maine are from Mexico and Jamaica, says Acero. Why there? For more information, visit efficiencymaine.com (some restrictions apply) 866-376-2463 Your business may be eligible for up to $12,500 in incentives for high-efficiency heating equipment. Fall is the perfect season to evaluate your heating system C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » We don't have sufficient labor supply locally We don't have sufficient labor supply locally We don't have sufficient labor supply locally We don't have sufficient labor supply locally We don't have sufficient labor supply locally We don't have sufficient labor supply locally We don't have sufficient labor supply locally We don't have sufficient labor supply locally We don't have sufficient labor supply locally We don't have sufficient labor supply locally We don't have sufficient labor supply locally We don't have sufficient labor supply locally We don't have sufficient labor supply locally We don't have sufficient labor supply locally to fill those jobs. So employers rely on seasonal to fill those jobs. So employers rely on seasonal to fill those jobs. So employers rely on seasonal to fill those jobs. So employers rely on seasonal to fill those jobs. So employers rely on seasonal to fill those jobs. So employers rely on seasonal to fill those jobs. So employers rely on seasonal to fill those jobs. So employers rely on seasonal to fill those jobs. So employers rely on seasonal to fill those jobs. So employers rely on seasonal to fill those jobs. So employers rely on seasonal to fill those jobs. So employers rely on seasonal to fill those jobs. So employers rely on seasonal workers. They're very much part of making the harvest happen. — Nancy McBrady executive director of Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine

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