Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 1979)
TWELVE The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday April 12, 1979 dfor Oregon j I j ' .1 A 4 :. t J , 5 J SALEM Farmers are al ready saddled with a myriad of federal regulations, and don't want the state to add new burdens with laws cover ing old territory. That's the message repre sentatives of the farming industry gave a House Labor Committee last week as it worked on a bill to strengthen state laws regulating farm labor contractors. "This is a duplication in many ways of existing federal law," said Beth Castro, man ager of public affairs for the Oregon Farm Bureau. "I don't think we can write this to keep the agricultural people out of it." The proposed legislation is intended to protect farm laborers against unscrupulous farm labor contractors. But farmers and growers, who are exempt under current law, fear that they will be considered farm labor con tractors under the proposed legislation. As farm labor contractors they would be required to be licensed by the state Labor Commissioner and to post a bond guaranteeing payment of workers. Drafters of the bill proposed amendments last week to dispel those fears and still put teeth into state laws that are respected. Dick Ginsburg, director of the Farm Workers Office for the Oregon Legal Services Corporation, a non-profit legal aid organization, said farm labor contractors ignore cur rent laws because they aren't enforced. However, Ginsburg said the bill isn't aimed at farmers and he suggested changes which would exempt "day haulers", those people who hire farm workers who live permanently in the area on a day-to-day basis, and permanent farm employees who occasionally recruit workers. Packwood's call for balanced budget heeded in Senate The U.S. Senate last week voted 93-2 to adopt an amend ment offered by Senator Bob Packwood which requires the President to submit an alter native balanced budget when ever he submits a budget in deficit. The Packwood amendment was adopted after three days of debate on H.R. 2534, the Public Debt Limit bill to increase the amount the United States can go into debt. "The Senate has been asked to again raise the debt limit," said Packwood. "Now is the right time to change the rules of this spendthrift game. The President and OMB have the resources and expertise to make the hard choices we must make if we are to balance the budget. The Senate has told them they must. Let them send us a budget which lays out these choices clearly, and we will decide if they are the right choices." "With this balanced budget requirement," Packwood con tinued, "the burden will be shared by the Congress and the White House. And if we fail, we'll share the blame." In action also taken last week, the Senate adopted an amendment introduced by Senators Russell Long (D-La) and Packwood to require the Congressional Budget Com mittees to submit balanced budgets next year. 411 YOUR BUSINESS PRINTING NUDS UNDER ONE ROOF 676-9228 Bob Walden, lobbyist for the Oregon Tree Fruit Growers Association, said proposed changes in the definition of a farm labor contractor would make the bill easier to live with. But he still has some concerns. "I'm still not satisfied with some of the language in the I'Jc Will Be OPEN EASTER SUNDAY STORE HOURS: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Beautiful White Blooms to Grace the Home. 6" Pots .fillHHS Reg. & Sugar Free 8Pak-16 Oz. 1 m 'mwbbJ UteH-sS penalty areas," he said. "We still don't know what the committee's going to do with that part of the bill." Under the proposal, workers could sue a contractor for $250 to $1,000 in statutory damages for such violations as recruit ing without a license, failure to post notices or provide X J tvwei 2-00ten GosflL? toDiis 3 to 5. Blooms Auertnl fto t Dtwratri V Azaleas W $598 l 798 Caiadiams ' $3W $598 Orchid Corsages AT H43 Plus Dop. written job descriptions or for retaliatory conduct. A farmer or grower who hired an unlicensed contractor would be liable for $750 in damages under the measure. Jim Stauffer, a reforesta tion contractor, said allowing workers to sue labor con tractors for such violations Cr0l f Smooth for Ounce j' Mfod.. Wuioln 99,) i)iJOISIf 12 0z. Cans 12Pok Pint Dft. would set up a "bounty system." "I think there should be penalties," he said. "But this encourages my workers to watch me. If I failed to post something they could turn me in and collect. I think it should go to the Bureau of Labor as civil fines. This would encour- ff iflifdflrjlbsirirDSS Fresh Rip Brim Full Pint Cups Q Crisp Carrots - 259 Sunkist Anjou iCrisp Red leaf, Romalne, Green Leaf or Butter . r. Peanut Butter Rtal RoaitCrMffly or Chunk.. 48-oz. YlllllWWIlMT 1 way Yams Itlcrshma!!ows Lihby,s Pumpkin Bel-air Peas French's Mustard QHoshcr Dills I!cinz Vinegar llcinz Vinegar Planters Peanut Oil Electro So! HSpic & Span rlre Clean Sunshine 84-oz. Tide Laundry Dotorgont 25' Off label age frivilous claims." Ginsburg said the provision allowing the worker to sue the contractor was intended to give the injured worker a tool so: "They won't be dependent on an agency which is under-staffed and may not speak their language," said Ginsburg. 5 a.'' TTjtO LIJ j J Ea. Radishes -r 5J1 Lemons s 1J Pears u49 Lettuce for terry if&llCG lamp""- e l ftunce von o rfsp LOW Cvti In ifnf SO-oi.C Campfto 10.5-ox. Mlntfftvrftfi Or Frazwi Com, Of Pont Comti'll-oi. Wlwl..4S4Lw Whh Iconomfnl rof Wrtiwihofi 10-OtlUool.M-oi. M'0HUMJ4-oi. 69 39' 16-OLCon S M 98( loftrFtavor AQ 24-ol or Ul $79 WMMVhwtar l-i.lotlt JV 58 141. $199 in I Ckmr S 1 84 I tS'Off $144 laMlS- Era Liquid Laundry Dotorgont U8-01. lotrtt The Oregon Farm Bureau also urged that the penalties be reduced or designated as maximum damages rather than as fixed fines. Ginsburg said he had no objections to reducing the penalties, but he urged the committee to include specific damages. r" I a. MirflitalMxes Fresh Spring Medium Size Steam and Serve with Butter o Bahing Potatoes' 19 " - HbbUltlJi Ranch Dressing Strawberry Glaze'69 Baking Yams Premium No 1 Jewell Variety off ofl . 32-0, Cookie Crisp RalitonChocolattChlp erOatmoal.. 11-oz. Large Pitted Olives Fruit Cocktail Potato Chips tied Rose Tea Boos Hash Browns Top Bcmen AiMftoo1 Spaghetti Sauce .Taco Seasoning Tang Orange Drink Cheriy Pie Filling jf Aluminum Foil Dove Bar Soap term "We feel this will be the teeth in the law. This will be the enforcement. I think we all agree the current law is not enforced." The committee decided to review the penalty section of the law at its next work session on HB 2419. ft'i "til " lbs FftlOflf US or Derft of Assort, dfq or hi vors iterBtl for Plus rfep. Joy Liquid Dttrgnt for Dlihti 10 Off Labol.. 21-oz. Town rloiwo 6-oz. Can 69' Town Horn Aufd. rrvH17-w. , IkMloHHochololDtoi 2J 75 25' 75' 421 26' 32 2" 39 2Jt fmti.Crii ...S-olMij. 100 Cowrl hMtm.. 14-01. pkf. . . -oz. rrondi'l l.S-oi. HaUuStftoMIx rrondi'l MU 1.1J-.I. Think Ton loynoM. ir is n. ion HnkorWMlf 4.7 ol lor Fresh Start Detergent Laund7 Dotorgont 501 Off Labol 84-01.
