Working for North Pacific Seafoods
The products that are produced at each facility will vary based on the local seafood resource. Please review the pages on our plants for more information on the specific products processed at each. To be sure working in Alaska is the right experience for you, please carefully review the employment information and explore our web site about our locations and the Alaska seafood industry.
Nature of Work
Employees must be versatile and willing to perform various tasks that are involved with the processing of fish, including off-loading, cleaning, freezing, packaging, warehousing and shipping. All work tasks require physical stamina. Working conditions depend upon the tasks assigned. They could be noisy where machines are operating, wet where fish are being cleaned, and cold where fish are being frozen and packaged, or all of the above.
The work is repetitive due to the volumes of fish and the mechanization of the process. Most tasks involve working long hours while standing at a workstation. Periodically, workers rotate from one workstation to another to give everyone some variety. Workers need to get along well with other people, follow directions, and abide by safety and health rules. We are processing food for human consumption, and follow strict regulations for processing and cleanliness, including personal hygiene for each employee.
Hours of Work
The length of the workday varies depending on the availability of fish. Employees should be prepared to work up to 16 hour days, and should be aware there could be days with little or no work. The Alaska fisheries are highly regulated to provide a sustainable resource for the future years. Based on the strength of the fish resource, fishing may be limited to certain days and at certain hours, or fishing could be open for days at a time. Fish processing operates when fish are available and suspends operations when no fish are being harvested. During the peak of the season, plants could operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week. This may go on for several weeks without a day off.
Wages
Seafood processors are paid on an hourly wage basis. In Alaska, hourly employees are paid their regular rate of pay for the first 8 hours worked in a calendar day. Hours worked in excess of 8 hours in a calendar day, and in excess of 40 regular hours in a work week, are paid at the overtime rate equal to 1.5 times the regular pay rate.
Payroll Information
Employees are paid every two weeks. The pay period consists of two pay weeks which run Monday through Sunday. Employees are paid the following Friday for work performed during the prior pay period. You can elect direct deposit into your bank account or you can be given a paper check.
Benefits
We proudly offer a rich array of benefits for our hourly employees.
What to Bring with You
Federal regulations require that ALL employees, regardless of citizenship, provide original, unexpired documents to prove their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. IF YOU FORGET TO BRING THESE DOCUMENTS WITH YOU, WE CANNOT HIRE YOU AND YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO WORK UNTIL THE DOCUMENTS ARE PROVIDED. For a list of acceptable documents, go to: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/acceptable-documents
Employees should bring clothing that is appropriate for cold climates. As the weather can change dramatically in a day, bring clothing that is easily layered. Suggested clothing would include jeans, tee shirts, sweat shirts, sweat pants, thermal underwear, a warm jacket, wool socks, comfortable waterproof work boots, and warm hats. Workers should bring several changes of clothes and lots of warm socks. Clothing takes a lot of abuse in a seafood plant, so bring things that you are not worried about ruining. There are employee laundry facilities at our plants. Depending on the work assignment, North Pacific Seafoods will provide work and safety clothing, such as rubber gloves, liners, aprons, hair nets, beard nets, and ear protection.
All workers should bring their own personal hygiene items and a battery-operated or wind-up alarm clock. Please also bring prescription medicines should you need them, as many of our facilities are located in remote areas without access to a pharmacy. Personal storage space is limited; therefore, it is recommended to use a duffel bag or other type of collapsible luggage. Do not bring valuable or sentimental items as most areas are shared spaces and the plant is not liable for any personal items. Weapons, explosive items, knives, illegal drugs, and controlled substances are prohibited.
Food safety regulations under which our plants operate require the removal of all unsecured jewelry and other objects that might fall into food, equipment, or containers.
Employees must be at least 18 years old to work around hazardous equipment.
Equal Opportunity Employment
North Pacific Seafoods provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This commitment applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
Discrimination-Free and Harassment-Free Workplace
North Pacific Seafoods is committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination and harassment and a work environment that is respectful and productive. Additionally, employees will not participate in harassment based on any protected statuses (for example, joking about a person’s race). Retaliation is strictly prohibited. Employees will not be disciplined and their employment will not be adversely affected for reporting a potential violation of this policy, for raising concerns about discrimination or harassment, or for participating in an investigation of a complaint of discrimination or harassment.
No Tolerances
North Pacific Seafoods prohibits the use, sale, or possession of ANY drug not medically authorized. We do not allow the use or possession of medical marijuana at our plants. Our Togiak Fisheries plant is in a dry village, meaning, it is against the law to possess alcohol in Twin Hills. Employees may be asked to submit to random, post-accident, or for cause testing at any time, and North Pacific Seafoods reserves the right to search all areas of the plant without advance notice in order to maintain the no tolerance policy.
The products that are produced at each facility will vary based on the local seafood resource. Please review the pages on our plants for more information on the specific products processed at each. To be sure working in Alaska is the right experience for you, please carefully review the employment information and explore our web site about our locations and the Alaska seafood industry.
Nature of Work
Employees must be versatile and willing to perform various tasks that are involved with the processing of fish, including off-loading, cleaning, freezing, packaging, warehousing and shipping. All work tasks require physical stamina. Working conditions depend upon the tasks assigned. They could be noisy where machines are operating, wet where fish are being cleaned, and cold where fish are being frozen and packaged, or all of the above.
The work is repetitive due to the volumes of fish and the mechanization of the process. Most tasks involve working long hours while standing at a workstation. Periodically, workers rotate from one workstation to another to give everyone some variety. Workers need to get along well with other people, follow directions, and abide by safety and health rules. We are processing food for human consumption, and follow strict regulations for processing and cleanliness, including personal hygiene for each employee.
Hours of Work
The length of the workday varies depending on the availability of fish. Employees should be prepared to work up to 16 hour days, and should be aware there could be days with little or no work. The Alaska fisheries are highly regulated to provide a sustainable resource for the future years. Based on the strength of the fish resource, fishing may be limited to certain days and at certain hours, or fishing could be open for days at a time. Fish processing operates when fish are available and suspends operations when no fish are being harvested. During the peak of the season, plants could operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week. This may go on for several weeks without a day off.
Wages
Seafood processors are paid on an hourly wage basis. In Alaska, hourly employees are paid their regular rate of pay for the first 8 hours worked in a calendar day. Hours worked in excess of 8 hours in a calendar day, and in excess of 40 regular hours in a work week, are paid at the overtime rate equal to 1.5 times the regular pay rate.
Payroll Information
Employees are paid every two weeks. The pay period consists of two pay weeks which run Monday through Sunday. Employees are paid the following Friday for work performed during the prior pay period. You can elect direct deposit into your bank account or you can be given a paper check.
Benefits
We proudly offer a rich array of benefits for our hourly employees.
- 401(k) Plan – This retirement plan is open to all eligible employees from their first hour of work! The company matches up to 4% of your gross pay if you choose to participate, and you have the option of either pre-tax or post-tax deferrals.
- Health Insurance – Our plan provides coverage the first of the month after 59 days of employment. We’ve even built in an additional month of coverage for employees who are laid off once the season ends, allowing them to obtain medical care. The plan includes medical, prescription, dental and vision coverage.
- Holiday Pay – We appreciate our employees being willing to work on holidays when there is fish to be processed, which is why we pay overtime for all hours worked on each of the eight recognized holidays.
- Employee Recognition – For our long-term employees we offer several recognition levels, starting at 10 years. We recently had to add a 40-year recognition level. Amazing!
What to Bring with You
Federal regulations require that ALL employees, regardless of citizenship, provide original, unexpired documents to prove their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. IF YOU FORGET TO BRING THESE DOCUMENTS WITH YOU, WE CANNOT HIRE YOU AND YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO WORK UNTIL THE DOCUMENTS ARE PROVIDED. For a list of acceptable documents, go to: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/acceptable-documents
Employees should bring clothing that is appropriate for cold climates. As the weather can change dramatically in a day, bring clothing that is easily layered. Suggested clothing would include jeans, tee shirts, sweat shirts, sweat pants, thermal underwear, a warm jacket, wool socks, comfortable waterproof work boots, and warm hats. Workers should bring several changes of clothes and lots of warm socks. Clothing takes a lot of abuse in a seafood plant, so bring things that you are not worried about ruining. There are employee laundry facilities at our plants. Depending on the work assignment, North Pacific Seafoods will provide work and safety clothing, such as rubber gloves, liners, aprons, hair nets, beard nets, and ear protection.
All workers should bring their own personal hygiene items and a battery-operated or wind-up alarm clock. Please also bring prescription medicines should you need them, as many of our facilities are located in remote areas without access to a pharmacy. Personal storage space is limited; therefore, it is recommended to use a duffel bag or other type of collapsible luggage. Do not bring valuable or sentimental items as most areas are shared spaces and the plant is not liable for any personal items. Weapons, explosive items, knives, illegal drugs, and controlled substances are prohibited.
Food safety regulations under which our plants operate require the removal of all unsecured jewelry and other objects that might fall into food, equipment, or containers.
Employees must be at least 18 years old to work around hazardous equipment.
Equal Opportunity Employment
North Pacific Seafoods provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This commitment applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
Discrimination-Free and Harassment-Free Workplace
North Pacific Seafoods is committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination and harassment and a work environment that is respectful and productive. Additionally, employees will not participate in harassment based on any protected statuses (for example, joking about a person’s race). Retaliation is strictly prohibited. Employees will not be disciplined and their employment will not be adversely affected for reporting a potential violation of this policy, for raising concerns about discrimination or harassment, or for participating in an investigation of a complaint of discrimination or harassment.
No Tolerances
North Pacific Seafoods prohibits the use, sale, or possession of ANY drug not medically authorized. We do not allow the use or possession of medical marijuana at our plants. Our Togiak Fisheries plant is in a dry village, meaning, it is against the law to possess alcohol in Twin Hills. Employees may be asked to submit to random, post-accident, or for cause testing at any time, and North Pacific Seafoods reserves the right to search all areas of the plant without advance notice in order to maintain the no tolerance policy.