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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Labor and Immigration”
The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, known as “The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021” is now official as President Biden signed the bill late last week. We’ve all heard how the package will include $1,400 stimulus checks for qualifying individuals, extends unemployment benefits, and more. But it also increases assistance through USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). And according …
The legislation was introduced this week in the U.S. House of Representatives that would reform the H-2A visa program to address the agricultural labor shortage. The “Farm Workforce Modernization Act”, introduced by Representatives Zoe Lofgren from California and Dan Newhouse of Washington, would amend the H-2A program to allow a capped number of visas for farmworkers to work year-round. In …
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently announced the Hours-of-Service (HOS) was extended once again. The current extension of the emergency declaration was set to expire on February 28, 2021, but the new extension takes it through the month of May. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Executive Director of Government Affairs Allison Rivera notes this …
(NAFB) — Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Representative Linda Sanchez of California, both Democrats, introduced President Biden’s immigration proposal into their respective chambers. The Hagstrom Report says both members of Congress say the bill will “create an earned pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants, providing Dreamers, Temporary Protective Status holders, and some farm workers with …
With the COVID-19 vaccine becoming available for at-risk populations in Florida, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services launched a bilingual vaccine education campaign to encourage COVID-19 vaccination among Florida’s farmworkers and agriculture community. A recent study found that food and agricultural workers are among those most at risk of death from COVID-19, facing a 39 percent increase in excess …
A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that food-service, agricultural, and construction workers were among the most at-risk for dying from exposure to COVID-19. The study points out high-density workplaces in any industry are possibly high risk. The close proximity of employees in high-density workplaces creates a high risk for transmission of coronavirus disease. The …
As the Covid-19 vaccination process continues across the county, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted food and agriculture workers were among the 30 million frontline essential workers who should be in line for the vaccine. Over the past few weeks, individual states have begun to include this segment in their vaccination programs and that includes Alabama. According …
(AFBF) — The U.S. State Department clarified its ban on non-citizens entering the United States from South Africa. A Biden administration proclamation suspended travel from several countries due to COVID-19 concerns. The State Department clarified that agriculture workers entering the U.S. qualify for national interest exceptions on a case-by-case basis. The American Farm Bureau Federation sent a letter to Secretary …
(USDA) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued a statement applauding the Department of Labor’s final rule modernizing the H-2A visa program: “This final rule streamlining and modernizing the H-2A visa process will go a long way in ensuring American farmers have access to a stable and skilled workforce, all while removing unnecessary bureaucratic processes. USDA’s goal is to help …
A federal court in California issued a preliminary injunction against the Labor Department’s decision to freeze farm workers’ wages for those that use the H-2A Guestworker Program. Fruit and Nut Grower News says the freeze would effectively lower the wages of several hundred thousand guest farm workers employed by U.S. farmers. A preliminary injunction was issued in federal court in …
