Government News

DOL Updates Ruling on Temporary Farm Workers

The Department of Labor (DOL) is modernizing the current ruling on H-2A workers. The revised ruling will affect temporary labor primarily employed in agricultural jobs.

Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao believes changes to the current H-2A program must be made immediately to increase protections for both U.S. and foreign workers.

"This issue must be addressed now," said Chao, "or our country will see eroding competitiveness in its agricultural sector, crops being left to rot in the fields, and increasing shifting of domestic food production to overseas."

The proposed modernization is intended to provide farm employers with a legal means to hire agricultural workers when no U.S. workers can be found. The method of determining wage calculations for H-2A workers would also be revised to better reflect locality, occupation, and skill levels.

To learn more about this program go to: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/eta20080181.htm

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