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“Doing well is the result of doing good. That’s what capitalism is all about.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Regulatory Actions:

Hundreds of thousands of people may be eligible to avoid a payroll deduction for Washington’s fledging long-term care insurance program, according to the state Employment Security Department.

Home to thousands of winemakers who produce 80 percent of the wine in the U.S., California vineyards also yield their share of unscrupulous employers who profit by taking advantage of migrant and seasonal farmworkers as the harvest season approaches.

Legislative Actions:

Mornings in Miami start with a traditional cafecito before Mirella Estrada starts work as a farmworker.

H-2 and Other Worker Status Issues:

Hundreds of goats munch on long blades of yellow grass on a hillside next to a sprawling townhouse complex.

H-2A certifications surge 7% year over year with applications up 11.4%.

In 2022, 35 percent of the total jobs available through the H-2A visa program for temporary foreign agricultural workers were in three States.

According to numbers from the U.S. Labor Department, more than 378,000 workers were authorized for H-2A visas for temporary agriculture positions.

The H-2A visa program, which provides guest workers in agriculture, continues to be more heavily used by American farmers, ranchers and corporations each year.

Just over two years ago, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act passed the House of Representatives on a 247-174 vote.

Safety:

As the summer approaches, it is important to protect outdoor workers.

Immigration Reform:

On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on immigrant labor and farming entitled “From Farm to Table: Immigrant Workers Get the Job Done.”

Consultants to the Texas Border Coalition have asked the group’s members if they want to support two new bipartisan pieces of legislation in Congress, one proposing immigration reform and the related to land ports of entry.

From farm to table, immigrant workers get the job done.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is taking testimony on the shortage of domestic and immigrant agricultural workers.

International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) BB #:378962 members testified at the May 31 Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing “From farm to table: Immigrant workers get the job done”.

NCAE this Week:

The House and Senate were in for at least a part of the Memorial Day shortened week. Critically a deal was struck between the Speaker and the White House to lift the debt ceiling and avoid default on the national debt.

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Tuesday to examine issues surrounding immigration and farmworkers. In addition to panelists representing agricultural employers, representatives from the Economic Policy Institute and United Farm Workers spoke as well.

The ag employer representatives urged immigration and H-2A reforms enhancing national security. The other two panelists spent at least some of their testimony attacking farmers and the H-2A program. Committee Republicans including ranking member Lindsey Graham (R-SC) focused on irregular migration at the Southern border and lamented the Biden Administration’s enforcement efforts. Majority members focused on worker protections while some urged action to find a solution.

DOJ’s and NCAE’s briefs requested by the Court in the AEWR litigation will be filed by the end of the day today. The “agreed upon facts” the judge had requested from the parties will be filed by 10 am on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Michael

News articles and citations of interest for week ending 2023/06/02:

Migrant farmhands are here to stay.

A new study from Oregon Housing and Community Services found low wages and low housing supply force many farmworkers into crowded living conditions and out of reliable housing.

The County of San Mateo’s plans to expand farmworker housing, including units for those displaced by the tragic mass shooting in January, received a substantial boost today when the state announced it will receive a $5 million grant.

The $16 million awarded today will help expand homeownership for farmworkers in California.

CNN’s Gary Tuchman worked on a watermelon field in Florida, completing jobs most Americans won’t do amid a new immigration law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis aimed at undocumented workers and the companies that hire them.