Florida businesses would have to verify through the federal government that newly hired employees aren’t undocumented immigrants, under a measure that moved closer Tuesday to appearing before voters in 2018 despite opposition from agriculture interests. A panel of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission unanimously backed a proposal (P 29) that would require all employers in Florida to use the U.S. …
H-2A Minimum Wage for Guest Workers Likely to Rise in Several States
The minimum wage for H-2A guest workers is likely to rise in several states during 2018. The National Ag Statistics Service (NASS) surveys the prevailing wages of field and livestock workers in different regions across the country. The NASS calculations are normally adopted by the U.S. Department of Labor in December as the Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) for the …
Georgia Growers Informed on Labor Regulations
By Jaci Schreckengost In order to keep Georgia growers up-to-date about important labor regulations and issues, the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) held the annual Georgia Agricultural Labor Relations Forum. The event was held at the University of Georgia’s Tifton campus on Nov. 7–8 and had more than 100 people in attendance. Charles Hall, executive director of the …
Conaway Supports House Guest Worker Bill
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway offered his approval to a bill that would bring reforms to agriculture labor. Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee approved the Ag Act, which supporters say would replace the flawed H-2A guestworker program. Conaway says the bill would help provide farmers with access to a legal, steady supply of workers. Saying it’s time for a …
NMPF Applauds House Judiciary Committee for Endorsing New Agriculture Guest Worker Program
The National Milk Producers Federation said it supports the efforts by Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and the House Judiciary Committee to pass legislation creating a guestworker program that provides a new opportunity for immigration reform in agriculture. The committee today approved the Agriculture Guestworker (AG) Act (H.R. 4092), which would establish an entirely new visa program, dubbed the H-2C visa, …
House Republicans Trying Again to Enact Ag Worker Reform Legislation
House Republicans are trying again to enact ag worker reform legislation to deal with the longstanding problem of illegal seasonal farm labor in the U.S. But, the effort may be going nowhere in the Senate. House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte’s [GOOD-lat] Agricultural Workers Act would create a new non-immigrant worker visa program, aimed at providing a stable, legal and adequate …
Survey Shows Impacts Immigration Policy has on Agriculture
A survey recently released by the California Farm Bureau shows immigration policy still harms agriculture in the same capacity as seen in a similar survey in 2012. The informal survey showed that more than half of responding farmers had experienced employee shortages during the past year. California Farm Bureau President Paul Wenger says the worker shortage impacts farm operations. Wenger …
Newhouse: AG Act a Good Step Forward
Representative Dan Newhouse says while many of the details have yet to be worked out, legislation introduced by Representative Bob Goodlatte is an important first step to address ag’s labor shortage. The Republican from Virginia introduced the American Guestworker Act, or AG Act, which would replace the H-2A program with a new, flexible and market-driven guestworker program designed to meet …
Goodlatte Guest Worker Bill Up for Committee Vote Wednesday
A committee vote is planned Wednesday (Oct. 4) for the agriculture guestworker revamp bill in the House of Representatives. Virginia Republican Representative Bob Goodlatte introduced the bill Monday, and vowed to push for a “tight timetable.” The bill, according to Politico, would essentially scrap H-2A in its current form, rename the visa program H-2C and house it within the Department …
Dairy Industry Organizations Support Legislation Creating New Agriculture Guest Worker Program
A coalition of dozens of dairy farm organizations, led by the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), is supporting new congressional legislation that would help address one of the most challenging issues affecting America’s milk producers: obtaining a dependable, legal workforce. A founding member of the Agriculture Workforce Coalition, NMPF was joined by 57 dairy cooperatives and state dairy farmer associations …