Harassment Training & Asparagus Cutters Needed

Harassment Training & Asparagus Cutters Needed

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

Sexual harassment or sexual assault in the workplace is a very serious matter for all businesses, whether it’s in the office or out in the field. But there is good news. The EEOC will conduct training through the Washington Farm Labor Association the first two weeks in April in Mt.Vernon, Othello, Pasco, Yakima, and Wenatchee. WAFLA’s Dan Fazio explains why this could be considered the best sexual harassment training in the Pacific Northwest.

FAZIO: The EEOC investigates many of these “he said/she said” affairs. The agency is obligated to investigate, and they typically ask if the employer has a harassment policy, and then they ask if the employer conducts training to prevent harassment. If you tell them that the answer to both questions is yes, and that by the way you attended training conducted by the EEOC themselves, that pretty much puts you ahead of 99% of the employers out there.

This is a 2.5 hour training class for crew bosses in Spanish, and for management, conducted in English. Attendees will receive a certificate of completion. Visit www.wafla.org for more information on training dates and times.

Labor was the main concern last year for Washington asparagus growers, and it looks to be gearing up to be the same this year. With asparagus harvest being in April and May growers need to get cutters lined up. Alan Schreiber, Executive Director of the Washington Asparagus Commission, says growers should not wait until the week of harvest to do that. Schreiber urges growers who are needing workers to contact him. He can then put them in touch with a labor contractor to line up cutters. But he emphasizes that growers not wait until the end of March, first of April to do this.

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network.