#h-2a program

Trump’s Stance on Skilled Immigrant Visas President-elect Donald J. Trump made headlines on Saturday as he addressed a contentious discussion among his supporters regarding the significance of skilled immigrant workers in the American economy. In an interview with The New York Post, he revealed that he had frequently utilized H-1B visas, asserting his endorsement of the program. “I have many H-1B…

Farm Groups Push for Swift Action on Agriculture Labor from The Senate

The Agriculture Workforce Coalition is calling for action on behalf of the U.S. Senate in regard to agriculture labor. In a letter sent to Senate leadership, the coalition highlights the growing list of reasons that necessitate agriculture labor reform. The letter comes on the heels of the House of Representatives recently passing the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. The group notes the H-2A…

Farm Workforce Modernization Act Reintroduced with Ag Support

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act has been reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Representatives Zoe Lofgren and Dan Newhouse introduced the legislation that is designed to reform the H-2A agricultural guest-worker program. It marks the second time that Congress will be addressing the bill. Multiple agricultural groups have been supportive of the efforts to simplify the H-2A…

New AEWR from Department of Labor Brings California Up To $16.05

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has finally revealed what the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) will be for 2021. Employers of H-2A workers will now know what wage expectations are for the year. The new AEWR was delayed due to complications related to the Farm Labor Survey (FLS) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Overall, the FLS shows that H-2A wages will increase nationally by 4.5…

DOL Issues Final Rule for H-2A Certification Program

A final rule was recently issued that will update the H-2A certification program. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the amendments on January 15. The announcement comes after extensive public comments from the agriculture industry as well as worker advocacy groups were received from across the U.S. According to the DOL, the final rule will make the program easier to use while…

H-2A Wage Freeze Blocked by Federal Judge Ruling

A federal judge has blocked the H-2A wage freeze that the Department of Labor (DOL) announced back in November. The DOL decision would have kept H-2A wages at 2020 rates through 2022. Last month United Farm Workers (UFW) and the UFW Foundation filed a suit in an attempt to block the DOL rule. U.S. District Judge Dale Drozd granted the injunction preventing DOL from implementing the revision to…

Federal Judge Rejects USDA Changes to H-2A Program

An update to the H-2A program has been put on hold by a California federal court. The Department of Labor’s decision to freeze farm workers’ wages for those using the H-2A Guestworker Program has been challenged with a preliminary injunction issued by a federal court in Fresno. The new regulation set to manage wages would have been effective come January 1, 2021.  According to the DOL,…

California Citrus Mutual Encourages Participation in H-2A Survey

California Citrus Mutual (CCM) is encouraging industry participation in their brief labor survey. The data that is collected through the survey will be used in advocacy efforts on the state and national levels. The survey is voluntary and confidential, and individual responses will not be shared. Some of the questions include how the COVID-19 pandemic and the recently approved Cal/OSHA COVID-19…