Thread: Wash. Governor Backs Farm Labor Bill

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Wash. Governor Backs Farm Labor Bill

By SHANNON DININNY
The Associated Press
Wednesday, October 12, 2005; 5:40 AM

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Gov. Christine Gregoire is backing a federal labor bill aimed at easing a shortage of U.S. farm workers.

The Agricultural Jobs, Opportunity, Benefits and Security Act of 2005, dubbed "AgJobs," has broad support from both agricultural groups and farm worker advocates, though the two sides have disagreed in recent months over the availability of workers in the Yakima Valley.

Whether the bill would ease those disagreements remains to be seen. It faces major hurdles in Congress despite bipartisan support.

The bill would provide temporary legal status for farmworkers who can prove they worked at least 100 days in agriculture since July 2003. The workers could apply for a green card if they work an additional 360 days in agriculture over the subsequent six years.

"This legislation is key to the success of Washington state agriculture to maintain its competitiveness in the world marketplace ...," Gregoire said Tuesday.

The bill would ensure that farmers provide workers required benefits, wages and working conditions, while reducing cumbersome paperwork, Gregoire said.

Agriculture remains the state's top-employing industry, with thousands of workers in the state illegally from Mexico. Agricultural groups have estimated the number of illegal workers harvesting and maintaining the state's abundant crops at as many as 50,000.

The AgJobs bill also would streamline the federal H-2A visa-guest worker program, which allows farmers to hire foreign workers legally if they can prove a shortage exists.

In the past two years, a handful of Yakima Valley farmers brought workers here from Thailand to prune trees and harvest fruit under the program.

Growers contend the move was necessary, while farm worker advocates have called claims of a worker shortage bogus. They say only the growers who refuse to pay good wages or treat workers well have trouble finding farm workers.

The California labor contractor that brought the Thai workers to the region was accused of violating state wage and labor regulations. The state recently reached a settlement with the company.

The AgJobs bill intentionally allows only those immigrants already in the country for agricultural work to seek legal status, said Erik Nicholson of the United Farm Workers.

"We recognize the urgent need" to provide legal status to "those workers who have played an important role in the state and national economy," Nicholson said.

The governor's support sends an important message that the state "recognizes the importance of agriculture, and recognizes the importance of a pool of legal workers that can work in agriculture."

Gregiore is an illegitimate governor, so anything she does or says is entirely in question.

A Martin Ringhofer,(Boeing lawyer from Seattle) demonstrated unequivically that the governors election was decided by illegal aliens, felons, and those otherwise unentitled to vote. How you ask? Well he collected lists of those people in Eastern Washington that did not want to serve on jury duty. Their excuse was that they were NOT CITIZENS!!! Of course they were let off, however none were deported.

He later cross referenced that list with the lists of registered voters, and SURPRISE, the names reappeared. The election was decided by some 100 votes.

For his trouble Martin was vilified as a racist, idiot, and such, and this on the public airways on radio when he was interviewed. He is very intelligent man, and the whole affair was very humiliating. Martin is a naturalized AMERICAN.

His battle began after he became concerned when he received voter registration forms for his parents, who had never lived at his address. As though this is not disconcerting enough, the real problem see, is that at the time Martins' parents had been DEAD some 8 years.

I tell you folks, there is so much more wrong with our Country than meets the eye. Martin has sparked some election reforms there in Washington and that is to his credit. He is near retired and certainly does not need the hassle.

Google the story using his name. I am glad to count him among my friends. cheers glenn