Beet Harvest in Montana for Couples Only

[John61CT]

Requiring employees to live within their facilities is one issue.

And requiring two people to share one living unit is the other.

I don't think there is any legal basis for claiming they are not free to set those conditions.

Even if marital status is a protected class under Montana labor laws, that is completely irrelevant, they are not actually discriminating on that basis.

 

[Canine]

I just got done speaking with a lady at the beet harvest. What a nice person! That sure made me feel better. I'm not sure what will happen, and it may not happen in my time frame, but will continue to pursue this. Instead of tackling this head on, I'm going to take a more leisurely pursuit.

 

[WanderingCanuck]

> Link to the Ontario Human Rights Commission

You want to compare human rights in **Montana** to **Canada**???

I was mentioning it in passing, making sure to explicitly state the region for which it applied.  I only elaborated when asked to do so.

 

[dy38]

I don't know about Minnesota, but ND takes singles. Lots of campground space there. My application has been forwarded to ND.

Hey Canine,

When I spoke with a sugar beet rep at the big tent he told me the same thing and advised that I not apply to Montana as they are for couples only.  He recommended that I shoot for ND or Minn.  As advised, I submitted my application to the Red River Valley region. Also please note they have certain criteria for your rig. ex: stove, sink, and a fixed table.  I have a converted 2012  ford transit connect cargo van.  I'll need to submit photos of my rig to see if my conversions meets their class B wavier.  We'll see how goes. Best of luck on your efforts. 

Regards,

Donald

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

I have a feeling that they think a man with a women is a lot more likely to be sane and dependable than many single men. They might have a point, but it is still discrimination.

 

[Almost There]

That's not the point at all. The campground space in Montana is apparently limited so the harvest companies only hire couples there so that each campsite is occupied by not one but two of their workers.

That someone wouldn't want to live in a campsite with full hookups hasn't apparently found it's way in to the brains of the HR dept. OR they found out that singles living in a vehicle that is not a fully equipped Class B or better has difficulty with things like showering in Montana in late fall.

 

[Technomad]

Arbitrary rules applied without any thought is typical of HR in many organizations. I would suggest you contact another one in the area, maybe not that just needs harvest workers and isn’t doing a “camp” thing.


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[Low277]

I'm a little late to this thread but I live on the east edge of the Red River Valley and know people who work the beet harvest. The people I know that work the harvest are individuals, not couples or teams. They work directly for the farmer, most are driving trucks from the fields to the piling sites and back. Most new hires work the night shift. The "campaign" usually starts in late September with "pre-pile" were they open up the field edges and get a idea how many tones per acre that the crop will yield. The main harvest usually starts around Oct. 1st and they want cool temperatures, around the freezing point, if it gets to warm they stop harvesting until it cools off. The harvest usually lasts 2-3 weeks.