A bipartisan working group formed by the House Agriculture Committee to recommend possible changes to the H-2A visa program issued an interim report Tuesday that outlines several complaints by farmers ranging from rising wage rates to lengthy delays in getting approved workers into the country.
The 43-page report says the findings from an online survey and from five roundtables held from July through September with ag groups, farmers, policy experts, labor advocates and others will be used to formulate the working group’s final recommendations.
“We must ensure there is a viable, affordable, and easy-to-use alternative to the lack of a domestic workforce, which is undoubtedly found with the H–2A program,” the report says.
“As outlined in this report, there are many takeaways and challenges to reforming the H–2A program: cost and wage structure, regulation, accessibility, administrative delays, etc.”
Members of the group will meet “over the next several months” to talk about “potential legislative solutions to the issues identified in the interim report,” according to a release. The committee's ability to implement any recommendations is limited since immigration policy is under the jurisdiction of the Judiciary Committee.
The working group, co-chaired by Rick Crawford, R-Ark., and Don Davis, D-N.C., received 820 responses to a survey conducted on the committee’s website.
The survey included a question asking farmers to prioritize possible changes to the programs. Some 240 out of 356 responses to that question mentioned wages or costs.
A delay in getting H-2A workers on farms was a significant concern as well. Some 26% of surveyed farmers said workers had arrived two weeks to a month late, while 11% of those surveyed said workers arrived more than 30 days late. Another 27% said workers got to the operation 6-13 days late.
Just under one-third — 32% — of surveyed farmers who don’t use H-2A workers said they don’t do so because of the complexity of complying with regulations. Another 22% say their operations aren’t eligible for the program. Some 20% say it’s too expensive. Only 9% said they have an adequate supply of domestic labor.
The fourth roundtable included representatives of labor groups and farmworker advocates. The organizations represented included the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.
The report noted “labor leaders are particularly concerned about H–2A recruitment practices. Because of the structure of the program, which requires employers to provide transportation, housing, and food in some instances, workers coming into the U.S. through the H–2A visa program often feel bound to their employers.
The working group survey gathered responses from some ag workers. Asked whether H-2A worker protections were adequate, 68 respondents said yes and 41 said no. Asked whether H-2A and domestic workers have similar legal protections, 70 respondents said yes and 48 said no.
It’s easy to be “in the know” about what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! Simply click here.
The roundtables also included one focused on sectors currently excluded from H-2A, including meat processors and dairy operations.
Access to a stable, reliable workforce is the most pressing day-to-day challenge facing the processing industry, which includes cattle, poultry, pork, sheep, and types of aquaculture. This was the case before the COVID–19 pandemic, and it remains an acute challenge.
Other members of the working group include Republicans Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon, Monica De La Cruz of Texas, Doug LaMalfa of California, Nicholas Langworthy of New York, David Rouzer of North Carolina and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin. The other Democratic members are Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Salud Carbajal of California, Jim Costa of California, Jasmine Crockett of Texas, Darren Soto of Florida and Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico.
Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., and ranking member David Scott, D-Ga., are ex officio members.
For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.
