Thread: Bush Signs Unlimited Ag Workers Orderl

Lou Dobbs just reported that President Bush, in the dead of the night, signed an order that allows an unlimited number of foreign workers to come here to work in the Ag business. Also, he has disposed of the law that says employers have to look for American workers first.

I haven't been able to find an article on this yet.

Administration changes to farm worker hiring afoot

Associated Press - December 10, 2008 7:05 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) - In its final days, the Bush administration is moving to make it easier for U.S. farming companies to hire foreign field workers.

Farmworker groups say the proposed changes to the H2A visa program would worsen wages and working conditions.

The agriculture industry uses the program to temporary farm workers.

The rules were posted on the Labor Department's Web site late last night but have since been taken down. A department spokesman says that whatever was posted wasn't the final version of the new rule. Spokesman Terry Shawn says the rules would be released tomorrow and published in the Federal Register on December 18th.

Farm worker advocates and the United Farm Workers union said the version that appeared on the Web site would lead to a flood of cheaper workers.

On the Net:

Labor Department: http://www.dol.gov

Farmworker Justice: http://fwjustice.org

American Farm Bureau: http://www.fb.org

http://www.kdbc.com/Global/story.asp?S= ... =menu608_2

Posted 12/10/2008
Administration changes to farm worker hiring afoot
By SUZANNE GAMBOA – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — As it prepares to leave office, the Bush administration is moving to make it easier for U.S. farming companies to hire foreign field workers, which farmworker groups say will worsen wages and working conditions.

Farm groups said that changes to the H2A visa program, used by the agriculture industry to hire temporary farm workers, were posted on the Labor Department's Web site at midnight Tuesday but have since been taken down.

Labor Department spokesman Terry Shawn said whatever was posted wasn't the final version of the new rule, which Shawn said would be released Thursday and published in the Federal Register on Dec. 18.

The Bush administration published a proposed version of the new rule last Feb. 13 and received nearly 12,000 public comments, Shawn added. The next version will be a final rule and can take effect 30 days after publication. Some of its provisions would take effect in mid-January and others later in the year, the farmworker groups said.

Farm worker advocates and the United Farm Workers union said the version that appeared on the Web site would lead to a flood of cheaper workers.

"The government has decided to offer agriculture employers really low wages, low benefits, no government oversight to bring in foreign workers on restricted visas and thereby convince them they should do this instead of hiring undocumented workers," said Bruce Goldstein, executive director of Farmworker Justice, a group that advocates for farmworkers.

The changes in the posted version would drop a requirement that an employer get the Labor Department to certify it faces a worker shortage before it can get visas for foreign workers; instead, employers would be allowed to simply attest in writing to a shortage. That version of the new rule also would change the method for calculating wage minimums for workers and relieve employers of a requirement to recruit in states or communities where other employers already are hiring farm workers, Goldstein said.

Paul Schlegel, American Farm Bureau public policy director, said many of the changes will make the program a little less burdensome for employers. He said existing laws prevent employers from hiring foreign workers if the jobs can be filled by U.S. workers.

"My members want to make sure they have a legal supply of labor," said Schlegel, who added that he had not reviewed all the proposed changes.

The rule changes are a part of a pattern of last-minute regulatory changes being rushed into effect by the Bush administration before President-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration.

The effect is to make it harder for Obama to change course on some policies favored by Republicans and the business community.

"We are hopeful that the Obama administration would recognize the utter mistake and unfairness of this proposal," Goldstein said. Congress has a procedure for reversing the rules, he said.

Many of the last-minute changes by the Bush administration have come in the area of public lands and the environment, including easing regulations on mining waste and allowing handguns in national parks. Another pending rule would grant greater leeway to railroads to transport hazardous materials through densely populated areas.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... AD950500

Lou said that most in Congress don't even know about this, and even Ag business owners don't know. Lou was fuming about this. Bush is a sneak!

How many do you think will actually work in agriculture? They will show up in the fields one day then the next day will be working in construction, Walmart and God only knows where else. The skunk was unable to ram illegal alien amnesty down our throats and up our bunholes so he did it in this manner. Our borders are officially open now. Welcome to the North American Union Komrades......

Surreal. Makes you wonder if this government can be repaired. Makes you wonder.

I want this Grossly Incompetant Piece of COW DUNG ON TRIAL

When Ya gonna get with the program and see what this fool is doing to you America

or don't you care

Treason ...... did he damage and continue to damage this country by his actions

"TREASON"

Go ahead, you dont care if your Grand Babys go hungry; why should I

You dont care ... I dont care ... I will take care of my own... the best of luck to you

I think it's going to take the belly button hitting the back bone from starvation before you finally get it, but dont look to me for food, I am smart enough to take care of my own

Its like an amnesty. Come one, come all. Farmers need workers. You wont be checked. Just say you will be working on a farm.

President Bush is a DICK.

Originally Posted by butterbean

Its like an amnesty. Come one, come all. Farmers need workers. You wont be checked. Just say you will be working on a farm.

President Bush is a DICK.

Wonder who will be left to BUY the produce? I mean "cheap" labor is only as cheap as long as people BUY what they're selling. More "ag" workers, more burdens on the economy, all when millions of Americans are losing their jobs.

There's got to be more to this story. Farmers didn't like H2A because it would cost THEM more in wages and concessions, so what happened?

According to Lou, they're going to be allowed to lower the wages. And they don't even have to offer the job to an American first. This is amnesty, pure and simple. They will be flooding into the country now on the premise they are going to work in the Ag business. That's their ticket in.