1/10/08 Surviving H2A Part5

Surviving H2A Part 5. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. We have been looking at some of the specific problems and solutions with implementing an H2A program. Lawyer Ryan Edgley of Edgley Law Offices in Yakima deals with many H2A cases and has found that producers who work together can get more out of H2A. EDGLEY: If people in an area can get together and work together and plan together it's going to be more beneficial because some people may have a greater ability within a geographic region to use H2A and minimize some of these risks or absorb the expense and others will benefit from that. Besides housing which must be offered to all migrant workers there's the issue of wages. EDGLEY: Then there's also the Adverse Effect Wage Rate. This is determined every year. It's substantially higher than the minimum wage and everyone doing work that is described in the Clearance Order during the period of need is entitled to that Adverse Effect Wage Rate. There are many other issues that must be looked at like piece rates and recruiting. And a large part of the H2A program deals with Farm Labor Contracts. EDGLEY: You need to also figure out whether or not what you are doing is covered by the State Farm Labor Contractor Act and if it is, then anybody who is engaging in any Farm Labor Contracting activity is going to have to have a Farm Labor Contractor's license. H2A can be a great tool for Ag producers but pay attention to the details and get help implementing the program. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.