Wage and Practices Survey

I’m Susan Allen, Today we have a labor alert for the tree fruit and grape growing industries and we have WAFLA’s Dan Fazio here to explain:

FAZIO: In the coming weeks, many growers in Washington and Oregon will receive a wage and practices survey from their state employment agency. The survey is voluntary, and in most cases, individual results will be kept confidential. Should you complete it?

To answer the question, it helps to know the survey’s purpose. The federal government is requiring states whose farmers use H-2A to conduct surveys. The primary purpose of the surveys is to set minimum piece rates for growers who use H-2A. A secondary purpose is to mandate prevailing practices; if, for example, a majority of growers who do not use H-2A offer free housing for non-employee family members, growers who use H-2A must do the same.

Last year, wafla advised Washington state that it was not properly following federal guidelines, regarding this surveyThis year Washington state agreed with wafla and has changed its survey to align it with the wafla recommendation. Which we will cover tomorrow