Ag Labor Reform
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. H-2A reform is just one of many labor challenges farmers are facing today that need to be fixed.
Sara Neagu-Reed, (NAG-oo Reed) Director of Production and
Environmental Policy at the International Fresh Produce Association, says recent changes to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate is a step in the right direction …
NEAGU-REED … “We’re appreciative of some of the stuff the administration has done to relieve that part of, you know, the program in certain ways, like wages, but still, it needs a huge overhaul. And it’s still just for seasonal employers, as you know, and a lot of our operations, including in the Pacific Northwest, are considered year-round. So, what options do they have?”
As for those who say foreign guestworkers are stealing jobs from local workers …
NEAGU-REED … “Ha-Ha! That is my response to that. This whole talking point about displacing American workers, give me a break. Story after story, we have growers who say, you know I had someone come to my operation. They worked for a day. They didn’t even finish their shift and they left.”
If locals would do the work, Neagu-Reed says that would be great …
NEAGU-REED … “This isn’t a job that Americans want. I mean, just look at the data. The individuals who are coming in to do this work are from South American countries, from Central America, from Mexico. If there was Americans who wanted to do this work, trust me, our growers would not be using the H-2A program.”
Again, that’s Sara Neagu-Reed with the International Fresh Produce Association.
