We have little control over how much fish comes in for processing. At the beginning and end of the season or during seasons with smaller runs, there may be days with little or no work. Since work availability is dependent on the amount of fish we receive, we cannot guarantee the number of hours employees will work each day. On the other hand, when we have fish, we expect everyone to work all the hours available. During the peak of the season we may work 14 or more hours per day for 7 days a week.
Hours are more variable at the beginning and at the end of the season.
In order to be considered for rehire the next season, employees must work through their shift on the Summer Release Date. That is the date that the Plant Manager determines that the large, seasonal workforce is no longer needed. Because seasons vary from year to year, there is no way to predict when the Summer Release Date will be. In the past this date has occurred during the last week of August or the first week of September. To ensure that we have enough people to work through the peak of the salmon season, we will target our hiring upon those applicants who are available to work through at least September 5.