Farmworker Survey Bills Pt 1
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. The Washington State Tree Fruit Association is urging members and others in agriculture to let your legislators know they should not be supporting SB 5996.
WSTFA President, Jon DeVaney says the Worker Program Data bill would create two more surveys, the first asking what employers are paying farmworkers …
DeVANEY … “That is the more significant of the two surveys because it is used for setting prevailing wages that are required to be paid by employers in agriculture using the H-2A guestworker program.”
And then, DeVaney says a farmworker survey to see if the data tracks …
DeVANEY … “And then that becomes what is required to be paid for those temporary foreign workers to make sure that are not, as has been in some cases in the past feared, is that they would be dragging down wages when what we’re seeing is, because of the requirements of the adverse effect wage rate and the prevailing wages, it’s actually providing an inflator to farmworker wages which have been growing faster than wages in the rest of the economy for several years now.”
But, DeVaney says that means more money …
DeVANEY … “The concern about the study is they’re proposing a big cost increase in the part of the data collection that really doesn’t even have any practical effect on the administration of the program.”
Tune in tomorrow for more on SB 5996 where that money will come from.
DeVaney says call your legislators and urge them to OPPOSE SB 5996.
Go to www.WSTFA.org to learn more about this bill and other important notifications.
