|
At Mt.
Olive Pickle Company, we believe in doing things the right way.
We
do business with quality people to get quality cucumbers for our
pickles. The right way means:
Good
Agricultural Practices
Good
agricultural practices are important, as are good business
practices, particularly as they apply to farmers’ employees. Over
time, Mt. Olive has worked to carefully select the suppliers who
provide us cucumbers. These crop suppliers affirm that they do
business with farmers who also do things the right way, for
employees. Farm workers who pick cucumbers that eventually become
Mt. Olive pickles are an integral
part of the process, and we encourage employment practices that
recognize this.
Compliance
Each season, our
crop suppliers and their growers sign statements of compliance
attesting, to the best of their knowledge, that they are in
compliance with all applicable federal and state laws governing
farm worker employment. The statements also make provision for
notification of Mt. Olive should an investigation
regarding compliance issues be initiated.
We deal with
suppliers and growers who operate in good faith and who are
willing to affirm, in writing, their efforts at compliance. To our
knowledge, we are the only food processor requiring such
statements of its North Carolina suppliers.
Fair Treatment
for Workers
For many years
we have insisted that our crop suppliers do business with farms
that comply with applicable local, state, and federal laws
governing farm employment, including:
-
The employment
of documented workers
-
Provisions
prohibiting employment of underage workers
-
Worker
protection standards relating to pesticide applications and
re-entry regulations
-
Providing and
maintaining safe and sanitary working conditions
-
Providing and
maintaining safe and sanitary housing for workers, if housing is
provided by the grower
-
Equal
opportunity employment
-
Wage and hour
laws and regulations, including the federal minimum wage of
$5.15 an hour, or $8.06 an hour for H2-A guest workers in 2004.
Certified Housing
for Workers
Our crop
suppliers must do business with farmers whose migrant housing is
registered with the N.C. Department of Labor, inspected and
certified for occupancy prior to farm workers’ arrival each
season, as required by law. We are the only pickle processor in
the industry that insists its suppliers and growers have the
necessary pre-occupancy inspections done.
Incentives for
Compliance
To help ensure
that suppliers and growers remain in compliance Mt. Olive offers
periodic workshops on compliance issues, and we make expert advice
available to growers when questions arise. We also reward growers
whose migrant housing qualifies for recognition in the N.C.
Department of Labor’s Gold Star Grower program.
Back
to FLOC Boycott Information Menu
|
