A Federal Court ruling striking down the Trump Administration’s cuts to H-2A Farm Worker wages is a victory for both Agricultural Guest Workers and Domestic Farm Workers, the United Farm Workers (UFW) says.
Union Officials pointed out that the decision will carry particular significance in New York State, where many farms rely heavily on H-2A Workers.
Following a lawsuit filed last Fall by the UFW and 18 individual Farm Workers, U.S. District Judge Kirk Sherriff ruled a U.S. Department of Labor policy reducing wages for H-2A Workers by as much as $7 an hour was illegal.
The Trump Administration had adopted the rule on an emergency basis, arguing that lower costs were necessary to address Agricultural Worker shortages it said had been exacerbated by its own immigration crackdown.
The H-2A Visa Program allows U.S. Farmers to temporarily hire Foreign Workers to fill seasonal farm jobs when they say they cannot find enough Domestic Workers.
Judge Sherriff ordered the Labor Department to develop a new methodology for calculating the wage rates and notify employers that they could be responsible for back pay.
The ruling could have consequences well beyond the H-2A Workers whose wages were directly affected.
“It impacts every single Farm Worker in the country,” UFW Secretary-Treasurer and lead New York Organizer Armando Elenes told The Chief.
That is particularly true in New York State, where the Apple, Vegetable and Nursery Industries have become increasingly reliant on H-2A Workers, Elenes said, specifically Workers from Jamaica, who comprise a large percentage of Immigrant Farm Workers in New York.
On some farms, he estimated, roughly 90% of the workforce is made up of Guest Workers.
He described a typical mid-sized operation with about 80 Workers – employing approximately 70 through the H-2A Program.
To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: UFW labels court ruling blocking Trump’s H-2A farmworker wage cuts a victory – The Chief
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