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Source: UC DAVIS, RURAL MIGRATION NEWS, 12/18/20
The purpose of labor law enforcement is to ensure that the rights of workers are protected and to level the playing field for employers, so that those who underpay workers or engage in other cost-reducing behavior in violation of labor laws do not gain a competitive advantage over law-abiding employers. The US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is the major federal agency that protects the rights of US farm workers and H-2A guest workers.WHD enforcement data reveal three major trends. First, violations
of H-2A regulations have become the major source of back wages owed to farm
workers and dominate the civil money penalty (CMP) assessments that are levied
for labor law violations in agriculture. In FY2000, violations of the Migrant
and Seasonal Worker Protection Act led to $1 million in back wages and CMPs,
compared with $100,000 for H-2A violations. In FY19, violations of MSPA led to
$4 million in back wages and CMPs, compared with $5 million for H-2A
violations. For the full story, click here.
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