i have been asked to be on a panel of greenhouse growers discussing worker protection safety and handling an EPA audit. our company has been through two such audits with lots of things we needed to change. we did change and have a good relationship with the department of agriculture plant bureau.
so i have been thinking about why we have these laws to adhere to even though they are cumber-sum for the most part and nit picky for another part and sensible for the last part.
as a society we need laws and people to enforce them. industry as a whole has not had a good history of managing the work force. when we had a more rural prewar time it was different. America had a free market atmosphere people valued each other more. since the war and industrial revolution big labor rules. thus the need for worker social advocates like unions. plus humans are basically selfish and not good. its like the speed limit. or the stop sign. what you do affects someone else.
for the greenhouse industry the worker protection standard (wps) revolves around pesticide safety, proper employee notification, pesticide handler protection, etc. there is a well published list of how to comply and it better be or you will be fined.
Tags: culture, greenhouse, society, worker protection
January 9, 2008 at 11:22 am
Hey Joel ,
I want to give my thoughts on this portion of what you wrote
” America had a free market atmosphere people valued each other more. since the war and industrial revolution big labor rules. thus the need for worker social advocates like unions. plus humans are basically selfish and not good. its like the speed limit.”
I also agree that a free market is one that flourishes and it is conducive to creating an enviroment where everyone can win. I think pre war there was more passion about what was being produced in that products being offered in whatever form were for monetary gain but I believe there was another motive that was equal to and even sometimes stronger of having pride in producing an honest product that delivered its intended purpose.
What comes to mind is the Growers I was exposed when I entered this field 25 years ago . There were many who grew geraniums , violets, ect.. but my Employer only purchased the products that were , pest free , healthy , lush and full. I noticed that the Growers who produced the finest products were the ones who’s faces would literally light up when comments were made about the excellence of the various crops being delivered for that season. You couldn’t help but feel the energy of their passion as they talked about the new forms of varieties that they were working on and there excitement as they told us ” Wait till you see what I bring in the fall or they would have a proto on the truck for show and this is what would be delivered in the fall and many times the product was even grander. At the other end of the scale is the other type of grower who conveyed a very shady atmosphere and their products were not as advertised and what was delivered was far below specs or incubating critters that flourished shortly after arrival. This happens from time to time with all Growers , but I noticed the integral grower reimbursed , or sold at a discounted price to move the product and all was known before hand, while the dishonest growers showed up with delivery with products that were way below what was promised and when confronted continually stalled , or denied that current issue with product was not their doing , even trying to place blame on our end when it was readily apparent it came from them. Bold face Lie and accountabilty nonexistent but very eager to collect the money . Needless to say these growers were never delt with again because the Folks I was fortunate enough to work for held to a standard that our customers expected and as a result we were the most busiest Retail Greenhouse around. Scotty who was part owner was a very fair man and I admired him a great deal. While customers were to be delt with respectfully he didn’t hesitate to protect his employees from abusive types who all seemed to have a common trait of trying to get something for nothing , or deceitfully trying to get replacement for the product that died due to negligence of theirs becoming abusive . Scotty didn’t care how much money they spent there yearly and he severed ties with customers that dropped a good nickel barring them from Ploch’s Farm.
Integrity has a quality that infuses good will by cherishing honesty, respect and the value of all. This in turn brings great Sucess not only on the buissness end but everywhere .
Sadly towards the end of my years at Plochs what began to happen is that Growers had to cut many products from their line due to competition from large corporational Growers price point difference being too large.
The products effected were mums , violets and a few others as a result gone were the gorgeous violets, and what replaced them were so inferior on all levels.
Yes they were cheaper , but it seemed that now it was all about money and the vital aspects , the beauty of the product suffered or were rendered completely unavailable.
The upshot of what I want to say is , I believe people behave selfish , are driven by desperate greed when we as a human race forget to Value eachother , we forget how valuable we are and this in turn seems to be causing an idol worship of the all mighty dollar . Creative passion is scarce , products produced are not only inferior but show little imagination and have an automon quality. Top this off with deceptive advertising where words like honesty and integrity are just window dress and doesn’t for a moment hide the reality that feeding the money idol takes precedence over the Value of Life.
The Reality is that we each hold within ourselves the undefinable Magestic beauty of our Creator who is ever changing and yet never changes and the wonder of what is and the wonderful expectation of what
can be.
The Kingdom of God is indeed within , remaining largely unaware of this leaves life with a quality of dry staleness and this in turn causes a desperation of running about trying to escape and there are a myriad of distractions that can oblige but thanks be to God for the law of diminishing effect and that hopefully in exhausting numerous attempts becoming ourselves exhausted we become still enough to see Grace and we wonder how could we have missed it ? and yet at the same time experiencing the largeness we also begin to understand how it is that we could be blind.
Hurt people hurt other people
Those who are hardest to Love need Love the most and whoever is up for the challenge Grace has an eternal supply of solutions we just need to turn toward and ask..
It’s all Good
Wow , Sorry for the long winded comment , but as usual I write what I need to learn ..
See you soon
Laura