Thread: U.S. seeks to give farmers better guest worker program

U.S. seeks to give farmers better guest worker program
By ERIK ORTIZ Staff Writer, 609-272-7253
Published: Wednesday, February 6, 2008

The federal government Wednesday released a proposal to modernize the temporary guest worker program, used by labor-strapped agricultural growers - including an increasing number in New Jersey - that are unable to attract Americans for jobs.

The program is getting an overhaul by the Bush administration and the departments of Labor, State and Homeland Security. Through the revision, officials also want to address the thorny issue of illegal immigration, now in limbo after Congress failed to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill last summer.

While the so-called "H-2A" visa program involves more than 75,000 foreign workers, there are still an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 illegal immigrants working on America's 2 million farms, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

"These proposed changes to the H-2A program will provide farmers with an orderly and timely flow of legal workers and increase protections for both U.S. and foreign workers," Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao said in a statement.
The H-2A program, which federal officials are calling broken, has not been updated in more than 20 years. Employers must show that efforts to find American workers failed before they can apply to hire foreign labor.

Federal officials want the changes to streamline the application process, encourage more employers to participate and also benefit the American worker.

The 186-page proposal, which would go into effect after a 45-day comment period, includes:

n Eliminating duplicate filings sent by employers to their states' work-force agency and the federal Labor Department.

n Making the application process Internet-based.

n Lengthening the recruitment period for American workers, who get priority when applying for jobs, and requiring employers to put out three advertisements, instead of the current two, to recruit those workers.

n Updating the way foreign workers' wages are calculated by taking into account where the job is located, what kind of a job it is and their skill levels. That would better reflect local pay rates and "protect the wages and working conditions" of Americans, the proposal says.

The H-2A program has historically been underused since a version of it began in 1943.

While the Garden State has more than 9,800 farms, only 23 employers were certified to participate in the program in 2006.

Last year, the number of employers increased to 32, according to the most recent Labor Department statistics.

In an analysis of federal data, Cumberland County farms again employed the most H-2A workers in the state in 2007, totaling about 160.

Two employers in Atlantic County were also certified last year: a nursery in Hammonton that requested four foreign workers and a flower business in Atlantic City that needed five workers.

Richard Nieuwenhuis, president of the New Jersey Farm Bureau, said the increase in H-2A employers shows a growing need in an industry that relies on manual labor.

"Even with the pitfalls with the current program, (growers) are looking for that legal way to have temporary workers," Nieuwenhuis said.

Ed Overdevest, who hires about 40 guest workers annually at his nursery operation in Hopewell Township, said the program in its current form remains cumbersome and must be changed if it's to support immigration reform.

"Guest worker programs have to be workable, practical," he said.

But Jessica Vaughan, a senior policy analyst with the Washington, D.C.-based, Center for Immigration Studies, remains critical of the program, even with the proposed changes.

"If there are 800,000 illegal workers, and it's still easier for growers to use them, they're not going to switch to a reinvented, existing program on a large scale," Vaughan said. "These reforms are justifiable in the management sense, but it's not getting at the fundamental problem: the unchecked supply of illegal labor and the growers' appetite for it."


http://pressofatlanticcity.com/top_thre ... 6435c.html

NO DOCUMENTS!!!! NO WORK!!!!!

Dixie

The federal government Wednesday released a proposal to modernize the temporary guest worker program, used by labor-strapped agricultural growers - including an increasing number in New Jersey - that are unable to attract Americans for jobs.

While the so-called "H-2A" visa program involves more than 75,000 foreign workers, there are still an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 illegal immigrants working on America's 2 million farms, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

So opening door for 75,000 who will stay after their visas expire.

Last year, the number of employers increased to 32, according to the most recent Labor Department statistics.

Expensive program to aid the 32 or so "labor-strapped" businesses who use it in NJ.

From what country/countries are these "guests" recruited?

What is the cost and who pays the costs associated with:
Background checks on the "guests"
Health physicals on the "guests"
Medical care for the "guests"
Transportation to and FROM the US for the "guests"
Agents who check on and keep track of the "guests" while here
Agents who make certain the "guests" leave when their visas expire


"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or any controlling private power."
Franklin D. Roosevelt[/quote]

Harry Reid has added money to the stimulus package to aid home builders(rich white guys who hire illeglals and build houses that sell for 300,000).Harry Reid does not want tax cuts for the rich?Same with these farmers-talking to a tobacco farmer in NC last summer-his average crop brought over 300,000 -and he is considered small time-the greedy people need to pay decent wages-sure lots of guys just out of prison could go on these programs for work as part of parole-

Here is the link to the LA times article for this:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld ... 2335.story

This excerpt says it all:

After Congress failed to overhaul immigration laws last summer, the White House announced a 26-step plan to tackle immigration issues through administrative fixes. Altering the legal-farmworker program would mark the most significant achievement to date.

"There is huge potential here to replace the massive illegal workforce with a legal one," said Leon Sequeira, an assistant secretary at the Department of Labor.

This is going to be yet another back door for illegal immigrants. All they will have to do is claim to be ag workers! They then become legalized workers and residents. I am getting sick of this nonsense. Farmers can pay fair wgaes like everyone else has to. The absolute greatest myth in America is the poor farmer myth. Most likely these crops aren't designated for American markets anyway, but thats a different story. In reality, if you chek out any farm you will see a ton of new vehicles, tractors with CD changers, Air Conditioning, multi story house and tons of "toys." They buy whatever they want then file for bakruptcy when they have to pay for it and repeat the cycle. The crazy thing about this ag push is that the illegal pushed to get AG modernization stoppped in the late 70's!

To me this is a very dangerous misuse of executive powers. And we have to be careful as this is simply another backdoor.

Article

"If there are 800,000 illegal workers, and it's still easier for growers to use them, they're not going to switch to a reinvented, existing program on a large scale," Vaughan said. [quote:2px1hx2z]"These reforms are [quote:2px1hx2z]justifiable

in the management sense,[/quote:2px1hx2z] but it's not getting at the fundamental problem: the unchecked supply of illegal labor and the growers' appetite for it."[/quote:2px1hx2z]

justifiable my *ss!! How can they say that they're Justifiable!? They're not even legal!

Originally Posted by Chosen

Here is the link to the LA times article for this:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld ... 2335.story

This excerpt says it all:

After Congress failed to overhaul immigration laws last summer, the White House announced a 26-step plan to tackle immigration issues through administrative fixes. Altering the legal-farmworker program would mark the most significant achievement to date.

"There is huge potential here to replace the massive illegal workforce with a legal one," said Leon Sequeira, an assistant secretary at the Department of Labor.

This is going to be yet another back door for illegal immigrants. All they will have to do is claim to be ag workers! They then become legalized workers and residents. I am getting sick of this nonsense. Farmers can pay fair wgaes like everyone else has to. The absolute greatest myth in America is the poor farmer myth. Most likely these crops aren't designated for American markets anyway, but thats a different story. In reality, if you chek out any farm you will see a ton of new vehicles, tractors with CD changers, Air Conditioning, multi story house and tons of "toys." They buy whatever they want then file for bakruptcy when they have to pay for it and repeat the cycle. The crazy thing about this ag push is that the illegal pushed to get AG modernization stoppped in the late 70's!

To me this is a very dangerous misuse of executive powers. And we have to be careful as this is simply another backdoor.

Article

Another thing is: Most if not all, of the farms that hire Illegal workers are
"Corperate Farms" not independent farms.
So they have the money needed to pay legal wages.

We have prisons full of able bodied, let them work for the private farms, and let the corporate farms pay living wage .


Bring back chain gangs and stop welfare to young people who keep having kids . Have state sponsored nurseries and put them in the fields ,maybe they will think twice before they make another mistake .

We should never have to feed another mans family !