Ken Fisher, AmericanHort President & CEO, joined 10 other CEOs and principals from the agriculture industry representing users of the H-2A program with Department of Labor (DOL) Acting Secretary Julie A. Su and Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack. The roundtable discussion revolved around the recently announced 2024 Farmworker Protection Final Rule and what challenges the industry sees coming. Fisher highlighted the rising labor costs, added burdens, and time demands that this rule and others impose on growers and the horticultural industry. The industry faces a continuous stream of regulations that increase the time, effort, and financial strain on growers and the supply chain.
The final rule will go into effect on June 28, 2024, with a further delayed implementation date of August 29, 2024, to allow DOL to update the FLAG system and forms.
On Thursday, June 6, 2024, DOL will host a public webinar to educate employers, agricultural associations, farm labor contractors, farmworkers, advocates, and other interested members of the public on the changes to the H-2A and Wagner-Peyser Employment Service programs made by the 2024 Farmworker Protection Final Rule.
AmericanHort recommends members who participate in the H-2A program to register for the webinar; there is an attendee maximum of 3,000. A recording of the presentation in English and Spanish will be available at a later date.
AmericanHort Webinar: DOL's H-2A Farmworker Protection Rule
AmericanHort will host an online webinar on Thursday, June 20, at 3:00 PM ET on this rule. Expert outside counsel will walk through the rule and outline issues we see with it. This program will be led by Matt Mika from AmericanHort, Lynn Jacques, Partner and Principal, JPH Law, CJ Lake LLC, and Shawn Packer, Principal Member of JPH Law Firm. Register for the webinar here.
For more information
:
AmericanHort
www.americanhort.org