According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) issued on Tuesday, 1,561 employees of Stemilt Ag Services LLC will be laid off. Stemilt is based in Wenatchee, Washington, and is known for handling fruit grown in the state's high-elevation orchards. Its main focus is the harvest and distribution of apples, pears, cherries, and stone fruit.
The layoffs only affect Stemilt Ag Services' seasonal H2A field workers. The reason for the layoffs is that H2A seasonal field worker contracts are coming to their pre-determined end dates as they are tied to the duration of the harvest season. Stemilt Ag Services provided the required public notice to its H2A seasonal field workers well in advance of their contract end dates in compliance with the Washington State WARN Act.
In a statement, the company mentioned that Stemilt Growers LLC employees and Stemilt Growers warehouse and shipping employees are not affected.
Source: Stemilt
