Guest Workers

Liz Jones
06/29/2009

Agricultural guest workers in Washington State will be paid higher wages, starting today (Monday). But that's only for new hires. Workers who already have contracts will likely be stuck with a smaller paycheck.

TRANSCRIPT

The Bush administration, in its final days, changed some rules about the federal H2–A visa program. That program allows agricultural employers to hire foreign workers if there's a labor shortage.

Washington employers hired more than 2,500 H2–A workers last year. Critics say the Bush changes lowered wages and protections for H2–A workers.

But now, Obama's new Labor Secretary has suspended the Bush regulations.

Bruce Goldstein is Executive Director of Farmworker Justice. That's an advocacy group based in Washington D.C.

Goldstein: "The reinstatement of the former regulations means that U.S. workers and foreign workers at H2–A program employers will be receiving higher wage rates. They'll also be entitled to transportation reimbursement and other benefits that the Bush–Chao regulation rescinded."

Elaine Chao was Bush's Labor Secretary. Under her changes, Goldstein says farm worker wages dropped in most places. Employers went from paying $9 or $10 an hour, to rates as low as $7.25 an hour.

The old rules and higher wages rates will kick back in today. But Goldstein says the majority of this year's H2–A workers have already been hired. So many will miss out on the higher pay.

Goldstein: "The workers at those employers who've already been approved under Bush–Chow will not get a pay increase. The employers approved under Bush–Chow will be allowed to continue to pay the lower wage rate for the rest of the year."

In Washington state, under the Bush–Chow rules, the average pay for H2–A workers is about $8.75 an hour. For those hired after today, under the reinstated rules, the wage goes up to more than $10 an hour.

Liz Jones, KUOW News.

© Copyright 2009, KUOW