PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 25, 2023
Regarding the recent op-ed on farm workers(“Commentary: Farmworkers deserve same rights as other workers,” April 18), we own a small diversified u-pick orchard in southern Maine. We consider our employees like family. Because we hire 15- to 16-year-olds during the summer and fall and pay them minimum wage, we adjust our long-term employees’ wages above minimum wage. We pay our employees overtime for any hours over 40 hours a week. We value our employees and strive to keep them coming back year after year. If the business makes money at the end of the season, we pay every employee a bonus. Are these farm bills trying to fix a problem that may not exist? Are there a few bad apples out there? ~ Jack McAdam, Springvale