Source: PRESS RELEASE, 3/28/22
Despite their critical role in the economy, farmworkers too
often face unpaid wages, unsafe transportation to and from worksites, and
substandard housing conditions. The U.S. Department of Labor will mark National Farmworker Awareness Week, from March 26
to April 2, with a broad effort by its Wage and Hour Division to improve
compliance among the nation’s agricultural employers. The effort includes a virtual agricultural seminar, “Nourishing Equity and Cultivating Compliance,” from April 5 to 7, offering sessions about federal laws governing employment and their enforcement, for industry employers,
workers, farm labor contractors and other stakeholders. The division’s regional offices will also present a series of related outreach events across the country as part of the
effort. Register to attend Nourishing Equity and Cultivating Compliance seminar. Specifically, the seminar will review the Migrant and Seasonal
Worker Protection Act, agriculture and child labor provisions of the Fair Labor
Standards Act, as well as H-2A and Field Sanitation requirements. Topics such
as equity, retaliation and human trafficking in the agricultural sector will
also be discussed. Earlier
this month, the Wage and Hour Division published resources to help combat retaliation against workers who assert
their rights and, in January, the agency announced
its commitment of resources, collaboration with law enforcement agencies and
outreach to combat labor trafficking. “National Farmworker Awareness Week should remind all of us of the essential role these workers play in feeding us, our families and our communities,” said Acting Wage and Hour Division Administrator Jessica Looman. “It also serves to inspire us to expand our outreach and strengthen our enforcement efforts to ensure all agricultural workers receive the wages they are due and are protected from retaliation for exercising their rights.” In
fiscal year 2021, the department recovered $8.4 million in back wages for more
than 10,300 agricultural employees and assessed employers with more than $7.3
million in civil monetary penalties. For
more information about farmworker rights, how to file a complaint, MSPA, H-2A and
other laws enforced by the division, contact the toll-free helpline at
866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Calls can be answered confidentially in over 200
languages, regardless of immigration status. Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division,
including an Agricultural Compliance
Assistance Toolkit. Lea en Español
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