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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Labor”
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (UGA/CAES) Cooperative Extension recently published an article to help protect farmworkers from extreme summer heat. UGA CAES Extension specialists Pam Knox, Rolando Orellana and Anna Scheyett contributed information to the article by UGA CAES writer Emily Cabrera. A shortened, edited version of the article follows: With heat index values reaching …
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (DOL) has temporarily suspended the collection of H-2A labor certification fees. Implementing a temporary suspension period will allow ETA’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) to move toward accepting electronic fees, as directed by an executive order by President Trump. That order, Executive Order 14247, is titled Modernizing Payments …
U.S. Representatives María Elvira Salazar of Florida and Veronica Escobar of Texas, along with 20 other representatives, introduced the Dignity Act of 2025 on July 15. The act is a new version of the Dignity Act immigration reform bill originally introduced in May of 2023. “The Dignity Act of 2025 is a revolutionary bill that offers the solution to our …
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division recently announced it is suspending enforcement of the 2024 farmworker rule. The rule’s full name is Improving Protections for Workers in Temporary Agricultural Employment in the United States. The 2024 farmworker rule amended several regulatory provisions governing the H-2A temporary agricultural labor certification program under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Among other …
Brazil’s Fundecitrus launched the Good Fruits program, aimed at adoption of legal practices in labor relations, during the recent Expocitrus event. The program’s objectives are to contribute to more responsible management on rural properties, strengthen compliance with Brazilian standards and promote a fairer, safer and more productive work environment. After launching the project, Fundecitrus distributed the guide “Employer Good Practices …
Growers spend a substantial amount of money every year to employ a labor force for their crops. Labor is the main issue that John Walt Boatright deals with as director of government affairs at the American Farm Bureau Federation. “No matter where we go and no matter who we talk to in farm country, labor continues to be the focal …
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) recently urged the repeal of two labor regulations that are driving up costs for growers using the H-2A program, which allows temporary foreign agricultural workers. The FFVA letter requesting the changes was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget. FFVA called for the rescission of: The letter stated that Florida, …
A bipartisan group of U.S. representatives recently reintroduced the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, H.R. 3227. The bill would update the H-2A agricultural guest worker program. It is a compromise solution that supporters said provides stability for farms and farmworkers. Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, one of those who reintroduced the bill, said, “It is well-past time we get this bipartisan …
The National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) recently urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate a halt in federal funds to farmers to help address critical labor shortages and reduce irregular migration from Northern Central American countries. The request was in a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. Last year, USDA’s Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot …
Labor is a perennial issue specialty crop growers must continue to deal with. Many growers in the Southeast have turned to the H-2A temporary agricultural visa program to source labor that is required on their farms. While the program has its challenges, it has become vital in securing production and harvest of specialty crops. Jamie Fussell, director of labor relations …
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on Dec. 20 issued additional guidance following court orders from the Eastern District of Kentucky and the Southern District of Mississippi regarding the 2024 Farmworker Protection Rule. This rule, intended to enhance protections for workers in temporary agricultural employment, is currently under legal scrutiny, causing delays in its full implementation. A preliminary injunction from …
Eleven agricultural organizations wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to express concerns about the way the H-2A temporary worker program’s adverse effective wage rate (AEWR) is determined. The organizations stated that the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) use of the Farm Labor Survey (FLS) to establish the AEWR “is inconsistent with the intent of the FLS …
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) applauded the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi for halting enforcement of a rule amending H-2A visa program regulations. IFPA and its co-plaintiffs argued that the regulation is both unconstitutional and beyond the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) statutory authority. They maintained that the rule imposes unlawful demands on agricultural employers …
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently offered two recommendations for improving the H-2A visa program. The first recommendation is that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) establish a schedule to process H-2A petitions electronically. The second recommendation is that the Department of Labor (DOL) evaluate options it could use to better locate workers to return back wages. The recommendations …
Florida’s new adverse effect wage rate (AEWR) in 2025 is estimated to be $16.23, pending an official notice in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). This is an increase of approximately 10% from the previous year’s rate of $14.77. The results of the Farm Labor Survey are used by the DOL to determine the AEWR, an …
Two U.S. House of Representatives committee chairs recently sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) asking it to evaluate the effectiveness of the H-2A visa program. The letter was sent by Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx of North Carolina and Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania. The H-2A visa program, widely used in agriculture, …
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) and nine co-plaintiffs have filed a lawsuit contesting the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) recently finalized H-2A rule. The challengers allege unconstitutional regulatory overreach and limitations on the freedom of speech of farmers who employ temporary workers. The co-plaintiffs are American Farm Bureau Federation, AmericanHort, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, …
The National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) has joined several agricultural associations and individual farmers in a lawsuit challenging a federal farmworker protection rule. The Department of Labor (DOL) rule is titled Improving Protections for Workers in Temporary Agricultural Employment in the United States. NCAE stated that the rule unlawfully violates the rights of America’s farm and ranch families. It …
President Joe Biden declared Sept. 15 to Sept. 21 as National Farm Safety and Health Week. “I call upon the people of the United States — including America’s farmers, ranchers and agriculture-related institutions, organizations and businesses — to reaffirm a dedication to farm safety and health,” the President stated. “I also urge all Americans to express appreciation and gratitude to our farmers, farmworkers …
A federal judge in Georgia on Aug. 26 blocked a federal rule allowing migrant farmworkers to join unions in 17 states. The ruling prevents the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) from enforcing the new rule. The rule would have prevented agricultural employers from retaliating against migrant workers with H-2A temporary work visas for joining labor unions and organizing against wage …
