Oct 31, 2011

Washington apple growers scrambling to find workers

One after another, at a recent emergency meeting in Wenatchee called by the Governor’s Office, fruit growers talked about how hard it’s been to find workers as the harvest hits its sweet spot.

One orchardist recalled how, of the 149 people referred to him earlier in the season by the state’s unemployment office, half showed up on the first day, a quarter on the second day.

Now, only five remain.

And so it went around the room, until a representative from the state Department of Corrections proposed an unexpected solution: prison labor.

"Do they come with guards?" one grower asked. The Seattle Times

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