A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022
OPINION READER’S FORUM
Founded in 1906
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022
A4
OUR VIEW
Workers should not be left crying at food banks
wo hundred and thirty-one
employees were laid off fol-
lowing the Shearer’s fi re.
Those workers are our neighbors,
friends and family members. They
are important members of our com-
munity and our local economy, and
they deserve better than what they
are suff ering now.
On Feb. 22, a boiler exploded at
the Shearer’s plant in Hermiston. The
resulting fi re engulfed and destroyed
the plant.
Looking at the wreckage, a mess
of twisted metal, it is amazing that
people were not seriously injured.
We can thank brave fi refi ghters for
their work. Also, we extend grati-
tude to Shearer’s for its help in the
evacuation.
According to Umatilla County
Fire District No. 1, Shearer’s pro-
vided fi refi ghters with an account of
their employees. And since everyone
was out and accounted for, fi refi ght-
ers did not have to enter the burning
building.
The company, which had been such
an important employer in our area,
should be thanked, too, for provid-
ing names to a Hermiston food bank
as well as the Hermiston Chamber of
Commerce so it could arrange a job
fair and invite displaced workers.
T
More, however, is needed, and we
expect more from Shearer’s.
We assume the 231 workers put
forth their blood and sweat for the
company, as many have worked
there for years. Tears have been shed,
according to the manager of Agape
House, whose food bank distributed
food to them.
Workers were crying at a food
bank.
These were workers who were
at risk of being hurt or killed in an
explosion for which we do not yet
have full explanation. The rubble is
so great, investigators still have not
hashed out the cause of this disaster.
And now, many of them are suff ering
the uncertainty of joblessness.
Whatever they have been off ered to
date, the 231 former Shearer’s work-
ers have not been given enough. They
should not have been reduced to tears.
Also, our community deserves bet-
ter. Given the past labor of much of
our workers, we should have received
an immediate promise of rebuild. To
date, Shearer’s has not committed to
rebuilding.
We think it should.
Our community has value, as do
our workers. Shearer’s has bene-
fi ted from us, and now it should act
likewise.
COLUMN
Ag overtime bill is a win, not a victory
B
efore even the fi rst gavel
dropped on the 2022 legis-
lative session, I knew that
one of the most consequential bills
of my legislative career would be
considered.
HB 4002, or the agriculture
overtime bill, was a divisive bill
from the start and presented the
Oregon Legislature with two
options. One that would favor one
side to the detriment of the rest of
Oregon, especially the agricultural
economy. This is what I called a
win — a win for a select few at
the cost of the rest of us. The other
path included compromise, good-
faith negotiation and a bill that
would generate support from both
parties. This is what I called a vic-
tory — a victory for all of Oregon.
I worked hard to get a victory,
BILL
HANSELL
ANOTHER VIEW
not just a win on agriculture over-
time. But the fi nal result was a win
— a win for Willamette Valley lib-
eral special interests who donate
money to the majority Democrat’s
campaign funds.
It will make these groups feel
good about themselves, but it won’t
make Oregonians better off . HB
4002 will result in higher prices at
the grocery store for working fami-
lies, hours and pay capped for agri-
cultural workers and ultimately the
shuttering of small family farms
that fi ll my district.
Agriculture is a unique indus-
try. During harvest seasons, it
requires long hours to reap all the
crops before frost or rains come.
In ranching, there is even more
nuance.
The bottom line is that farm-
ers and rancher don’t set their own
prices, they have to take whatever
price the markets are off ering. The
Democrats advanced an argument
about ag overtime that essentially
stated that a bushel of wheat har-
vested in the 41st hour is worth
50% more than one harvested at
the fi fth hour. Anyone who has
grown up around farms knows
that that is not true. And requir-
ing farmers to pay their workers
as such will soon result in a dwin-
dling number of family farms to
even employ these workers.
COLUMN
pring is fast approaching, and most every-
one loves the newness of what comes
with spring. Leaves on trees start appear-
ing. New plants start popping up and growing.
Spring is a great time to allow your children to
enjoy science.
With the weather changing and getting
warmer, kids enjoy charting and tracking the
weather. It can be as simple as making a folded
book and writing or drawing what the weather
was like today — sunny, cloudy, or rainy. The
learning and understanding take place when
you take the time to discuss how the weather
has been over the last week, such as the num-
ber of days it was sunny. Going deeper, have
them predict what the weather will be like
tomorrow. Ask what makes them think this.
This provides the opportunity to take their
learning to a higher level of thinking. In addi-
tion, it provides skills they will use for the rest
of their school years.
Spring brings a time of newness to the world.
Planting seeds, caring for them, and watching
them grow is another wonderful activity kids
love. Planting seeds doesn’t require much —
some seeds, dirt and a simple container/can and
you’re ready to experience some great science.
You can expand this activity by planting diff er-
ent types of seeds and collecting simple data
on a sheet of paper on what is happening. Once
again, real learning occurs when you talk about
what is happening with their seeds. Then look
back at their paper to see how many days it took
to see a sprout. Did it take the same number of
days for all the seeds? This process builds path-
ways in their brains to process information, draw
conclusions and make predictions. Oh, and what
happens if they are not watered? Just a bonus
lesson.
Science can be made as simple as taking the
S
SCOTT
SMITH
EDUCATION
CORNER
time to take a walk around the neighborhood.
During your walk, take time to point out dif-
ferent plants and observe the environment. If
you wander upon a creek or some water there is
another great opportunity for discussion. Stop-
ping and asking simple questions activates kids’
curiosity and their ability to process informa-
tion, and evaluate along with the ability to make
predictions. These are elementary skills but
skills we all use every day as part of our meta-
cognition, but something our children still need
to develop through simple activities. Once you
return home, take the time to discuss what they
saw and liked on the walk. Having them retell
their walk is an essential part of the walk, forc-
ing them to recall what they saw. If they have
trouble, ask a couple of questions but don’t let
them off . Make them discuss what they saw. You
are helping them develop their ability to compre-
hend information.
These activities help children develop an
understanding that they can use during the day.
They help the child comprehend what is hap-
pening around them. Developing these skills
can transfer their understanding to their reading
comprehension. They help children learn what
is happening around them and be able to under-
stand the world around them.
———
Scott Smith, doctor of education, is a 40-plus
year Umatilla County educator and serves on
the Decoding Dyslexia Oregon board as its par-
ent/teacher liaison.
Printed on
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VOLUME 115 • NUMBER 11
Andrew Cutler | Publisher • acutler@hermistonherald.com • 541-278-2673
Erick Peterson | Editor • epeterson@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4536
Angel Aguilar | Multi-Media consultant • aaguilar@hermiston herald.com 541-564-4531
Audra Workman | Offi ce Manager • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • community@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4532
The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN
8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston
Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838,
541-567-6457.
ture would have helped. But the
majority party rejected all these
and charged ahead with what
seemed to be a predetermined out-
come, driven by their special inter-
est groups.
I know how much Oregon’s
farmers and ranchers care about
their employees and their families.
HB 4002 will now force those
farmers and ranchers to make dif-
fi cult decisions about how much
they can aff ord their employees to
work. I grew up on these kinds of
farms and I am afraid that under
this policy, less and less of those
farms will be around in the future.
———
Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, is
in his 10th year representing the
seven counties that make up Sen-
ate District 29.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Embrace science and comprehension
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HB 4002 leveled all these
unique distinctions in agriculture
and mandated a one-size-fi ts-all
“solution” that is really no solu-
tion at all. The “olive-branches”
that Democrats extended, the agri-
cultural community never asked
for. One example: Under this new
overtime pay mandate, family
farms will now be able to apply
for tax credits to ease the burden
of the new overtime pay mandate.
Now taxpayers will be subsidiz-
ing this new program. Farmers and
ranchers never asked for that, but
the majority decided that is what
would be best for them.
I worked hard to come to a
compromise. Simple adjustments
for seasonality, fl exible schedul-
ing and recognizing the diff er-
ence between the kinds of agricul-
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Concerned about Highland Manor Apartments
In regards to a recent front page story (“Hermiston apartment complex offers buyouts
to tenants willing to vacate,” Feb. 9, 2022), are there any citizens in Hermiston besides the
tenants in The Highland Manor Apartments that are upset about the evictions taking place?
Clover Housing Group/Atkinson Staffing is a supplier of migrant workers.
We need migrant workers for the food we put on our tables. There is no problem
with migrant workers, but Atkinson Staffi ng is going to turn Highland Manor into
migrant housing, which owner Mike Atkinson will get government subsidies for.
Atkinson has made a lot of money off hard-working migrant workers over the
years. My question is: why hasn’t he built housing for workers over the years instead
of evicting people who have lived in Highland Manor for many years, now they have
nowhere to go? He calls this an “inconvenience” and he “sympathizes,” those two
words I don’t think fi t the situation this man is putting on these tenants.
Highland Manor is one of the older apartment complexes in Hermiston, but it has
been one of the best maintained places. They have been updated. There is very little if
anything Atkinson will have to do to this complex. All it is, is a smokescreen to hide
what he is really going to do.
The reporter should dig a little deeper and fi nd out what this Atkinson is really
doing. And how many other complexes in this town will this happen to? This should
be against the law.
Nancy Patrick
Hermiston
Possible drought solutions
Now that we again have a drought in south-central Oregon and the south-
west United States, it seems like it is time to seriously think of long-term solu-
tions. One of these could be pumping water out of the Columbian River to that
area.
The ocean does not need that water. Power companies could be compen-
sated for the loss of the electricity that would be generated by that water at the
Bonneville Dam and The Dalles Dam. A good place to take the water out of the
Columbia River would be somewhere between The Dalles and Biggs, using
two large pipes along Highway 97, dropping off the necessary amount at Klam-
ath Falls and pumping the rest to Lake Shasta near Redding, California. Two
pipes would be better than one, in case something happens to one, the other one
still would work. California has the canals, etc., to take it from Lake Shasta.
This would not help immediately, but could be part of a long-term solution.
This drought problem is not going to go away. The sooner we start working
toward a long term solution, the sooner it can be done.
Bob Mattila
Brush Prairie, Washington
CORRECTIONS
It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as soon as
they are discovered. Incorrect information will be corrected on Page
A2. Errors committed on the Opinion page will be corrected on that
page. Corrections also are noted in the online versions of our stories.
Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.com or call
541-278-2673 with issues about this policy or to report errors.
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Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the Hermiston
Herald readers to express themselves on local, state, national or
world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters should be kept to
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person. The Hermiston Herald reserves the right to edit letters for
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writer or writers. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers
should include a telephone number so they can be reached for
questions. Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be
published.
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