The NC Agribusiness Council supports H2A and H2B labor reform. Agribusiness is largely dependent upon semi-skilled and unskilled workers to perform the hard work necessary to produce our nation’s agricultural products. However, agribusiness professionals find it difficult to obtain a sufficient legal workforce to meet their labor needs. Despite diligent domestic worker recruitment efforts and legal compliance initiatives undertaken by those in agribusiness, the combination of the verification programs of SSA and INS enforcement activity that show that shortages of legal US workers at unprecedented levels persist. Furthermore, these problems are having serious negative consequences on the agricultural industry and the agricultural workforce. Less than 2% of the nation’s seasonal workforce needs are met through the current H2A program, which is 50 years old. With labor intensive crops representing 43% of farm receipts from all crops, enactment of labor reform would not only help our farms, but also reduce the pressure of illegal economic migration into the US by controlling and monitoring the admission and departure of temporary foreign workers.

The NC Agribusiness Council supports legislation that makes the following reforms: 1) a wage rate tied to minimum wage (state or federal whichever is higher) with elimination of AEWR; 2) litigation reform that includes mandatory, binding arbitration; and 3)reduction of cost associated with the program through elimination of the 50% rule; 3/4 guarantee; or upfront payment for transportation & fees and 4)change oversight of the agricultural guestworker programs from USDOL to USDA - who is better able to educate and regulate on the farm guest workforce. In addition, the Council supports a program that would address problems with the existing workforce including a process to regularize the status of experienced farm workers already in the United States by allowing the worker to leave the United States and return in a legal guestworker program.