The blueberry and cherry-picking season are at its height in the northwestern United States. The heatwave that has engulfed the northwest region of North America since June 26 has had a particular impact on agricultural workers, who usually work under the heat of the sun. Many of them have had to start working during the night to avoid the worst of the heat.
To avoid temperatures that can rise as high as 42°C (107.5°F), agricultural workers in Washington State have started going into work as early as 3am. Berry pickers are wearing headlamps in the darkness of the night-time.
“The heat is dangerous, but so is working in the dark,” explaining that “harvesters have to constantly move their ladders to reach the fruit and there are tractors in the orchards moving the bins” stated the labour union, United Farm Workers.
United Farm Workers is also concerned about the lack of standards and protections for those working in the extreme heat. The heat is just one more challenge for workers already facing difficult working conditions. Paid by the amount of fruit they gather, harvesters often work long hours without taking breaks to drink and rest. Victoria Ruddy, the regional director for the Pacific Northwest for United Farm Workers told American news outlet NBC News that some workers were only paid $3.50 dollars (€2.95) for each basket weighing 25 to 30 pounds (11 to 13kg).
A majority of these workers are migrants from Central or South America. Close to half are undocumented and risk deportation. It’s not uncommon for children as young as 12 and elderly people to work in the agricultural sector.
US heatwave pushes agricultural workers to work at night: 'Even so, it's horrible' (france24.com)
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