Agricultural labor: Assessing the problems and providing solutions to H-2A, overtime and wage rules
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Key Findings
- While only two percent of the U.S. population is engaged in agriculture, the sector accounts for 22 million jobs, either directly or indirectly, across the country.
- Overtime exemptions for farm labor do not mean farm and ranch employees are not compensated for their additional work hours. They may receive non-monetized, additional benefits for their work.
- The H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa program is costly for employers, with pre-employment fees estimated at $1,500 per employee.
- Domestic workers benefit from the presence of H-2A workers on the farms where they are employed because all employees must be paid at the wage of the H-2A worker, which is a higher rate than the 2019 minimum wage in Washington state ($15.03/hr versus $12/hr).
- White-collar schedules are out of line with the seasonal and cyclical nature of most agricultural occupations.
Introduction
American farming is essential to providing daily nutrition to millions of people across the country and around the world. It is also the source of employment for people far beyond direct food production.
Agriculture-based employment ranges from on-farm labor to processing, manufacturing, and sales of goods. Twenty-two million U.S. jobs, or one in 12 jobs in the United States, are dependent on agriculture. Even so, only two percent of Americans are farmers or ranchers as commonly understood (that is, people who work on the land or raise livestock). The broader agricultural sector is a business-rich job creator with opportunities for those willing to work hard.
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