February 26, 2010
February 26, 2010
Stallman: New H-2A regulations will make it harder to put food on America’s tables
American Farm Bureau Federation,
New rules for the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program, released by the Labor Department on Feb. 12, will make the program more difficult than ever to use, according to American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. Among the changes is a requirement that farmer employers who seek H-2A visas for agricultural workers provide documented evidence that they have looked for qualified U.S. citizens to fill the jobs. Previously, employers only had to indicate they had looked for qualified workers.
“There continues to be a labor shortage in U.S. agriculture and agricultural employers need an efficient, affordable temporary worker program to help put food on Americans’ tables,” Stallman said. “Even with the slower economy, farm labor remains physically demanding, periodic, allweather work and it is often impossible for farmers and ranchers to find the workers they need.” Growers had urged the Obama administration to curtail or modify the H-2A program so it would be easier to find farm workers, but Stallman said the new regulation, effective March 15, undoes a number of improvements the department put in place last year and will only compound existing labor shortages.
The Labor Department is also
poised to release a rule determining the minimum amount agricultural employers must pay their H-2A workers.
“Employers want to pay a fair wage, embodied in what’s known as the ‘prevailing wage,’ or the going rate for the area,” explained Ron Gaskill, AFBF labor
and immigration policy specialist. “Requiring them to pay more than that, as it looks like the department will do, could price them out of the program.”
Stallman emphasized agricultural employers’ commitment to hire only those who are eligible to work in this country, but said lawmakers must be equally committed to ensuring capable, dependable and willing employees can come to the U.S. temporarily to do the jobs that domestic workers don’t want.
“The ball is now in the court of the Congress to do what the administration has failed to do: to create a meaningful guest worker program that works fairly and honorably for employers and employees alike, thereby encouraging economic growth and more new jobs in an industry that is essential to nourishing a growing world population,” Stallman said.
Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are working on a bipartisan immigration reform bill designed to address the status of millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S., increase employer enforcement and, foremost on farmers’ and ranchers’ minds, tackle how best to bring legal foreign workers to the U.S.
I know my way of thinking is too simplistic – and will not be accepted by the “deep thinkers” – and that is, PAY THE GOING RATE OR DON’T PLAY THE GAME! ! !
If all would follow this rule, things would, eventually, settle to what is fair for all – WITHOUT REGULATIONS. However there will always be those who see and “angle” to a situation to where they can become the “controller”, and collect a fee for doing so – which, in turn, throws everything out of kelter, complicating the issue to no end – driving prices up, or down, anyway but normal, and nobody is happy.
If it would be the case of either work or starve – and be “our own people, only”, get rid of the “fat hogs” in government, and the thieves of illegal immigrants, and this country could be made livable again. Unless we do this, it will only continue to go down hill, deeper and deeper.
And THAT is my honest opinion.
Excuses excuses excuses. Why not tell readers the real truth. You leave out the fact there are already around a dozen guest worker programs on the books; the fact taxpayers have been subsidizing the true cost of most of these workers, in the 10′s of thousands per year. Making the rolled up costs for these foreign workers more expensive than most of there domestic counterparts. Regarding the illegal aliens already here – society already has enough people willing to break the law for their own purposes and we do not need any more. Deport them. With millions currently out of work, there is your labor pool, government needs to stop with the hand outs and instead require folks to work for what they get.
it’s all BS nothing is really going to change. If this government want to really stop the the flow of people into this country they could , but they don’t. It’s a joke. typical politician move making u think they are really doing something when they are really just sitting around doing nothing more then doing con on the people they serve.
My friends & I support the new VISA requirement. It is time for “cheap migrant worker labor” to go away and be replaced by “U.S. Citizens.” And if farmers don’t adjust, they can cease operations as far as my friends & I are concerned. According to one study conducted by farmers in Washington state, the price of apples would increase $0.25 per pound if farmers had to hire “U.S. Citizens” instead of “cheap migrant worker labor.” Another study focused on corn and said the price of an ear or corn would increase by $0.05 / ear. A third study focused on oranges and found the price of oranges would increase $0.15 per pound. In my opinion, these are small and fair price hikes to pay – and have the “fat hogs” in businesses trim down.
Who conducted these studies? A team of PHD students / candidates attending a university where I am taking PHD level classes.
Posted in my opinion.
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