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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Several farm groups, led by the International Fresh Produce Association, filed a lawsuit Tuesday evening against the Department of Labor’s H-2A rule finalized in April.
A Labor Department rule issued this spring to protect farmworkers is unconstitutional because it gives farmworkers collective bargaining rights, a federal judge in Georgia ruled Monday, enjoining enforcement of the rule in 17 states.
The level of farmworker wages continues to vex the ag industry and farmworker representatives, who say the way they are calculated results in wages being either too low or too high.
The Labor Department has finalized a series of new protections for H-2A employees, including a right to participate in advocacy efforts over working conditions and restrictions on when workers can be fired for cause. A leading industry group denounced the regulations as "offensive" and "developed in bad faith."
Some 16 Republican senators are calling on congressional leaders to move legislation that would freeze the adverse effect wage rate for H-2A workers at 2023 levels.
With farmers continuing to struggle across the country to find workers, 30 House members from across the political spectrum are appealing to leaders of the House Agriculture Committee today to ensure the next farm bill includes new funding for research and development into mechanizing and automating the production of specialty crops.