- Aug 18, 2012
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The Labor Department warned in an obscure document filed with the Federal Register last week that “the near total cessation of the inflow of illegal aliens” is threatening “the stability of domestic food production and prices for U.S. consumers.”
Also, contradicting comments made by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins that the U.S. farm workforce will become “100 percent American” as an effect of mass deportations, the Labor Department noted that Americans are not willing to step into farm work and lack the skills to fill agricultural jobs that undocumented immigrants are abandoning.
“The Department concludes that qualified and eligible U.S. workers will not make themselves available in sufficient numbers,” the agency said.
Doc:
"...the Department concludes, based on all available evidence and studies, that immediate reform to the H-2A program's minimum wage policy, or the AEWRs, is necessary to avoid imminent widespread disruption across the U.S. agricultural sector. Without prompt action, agricultural employers will face severe labor shortages, resulting in disruption to food production, higher prices, and reduced access for U.S. consumers, particularly to fresh fruit and vegetables. Further, the Department concludes that qualified and eligible U.S. workers will not make themselves available in sufficient numbers, even at current wage levels, to fill the significant labor shortage in the agricultural sector. As discussed in detail below, the reforms contained in this IFR of the H-2A program's wage policy are urgently needed to restore the usability of the H-2A program and to provide a practical, lawful workforce alternative to illegal aliens. These changes ensure that agricultural employers offer fair wages to legally authorized workers—consistent with wages paid in comparable farm and non-farm jobs—while maintaining compliance with immigration law and supporting the stability of the nation's food supply.
Imagine that? Americans are unwilling to harvest their own food.
Also, contradicting comments made by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins that the U.S. farm workforce will become “100 percent American” as an effect of mass deportations, the Labor Department noted that Americans are not willing to step into farm work and lack the skills to fill agricultural jobs that undocumented immigrants are abandoning.
“The Department concludes that qualified and eligible U.S. workers will not make themselves available in sufficient numbers,” the agency said.
Doc:
"...the Department concludes, based on all available evidence and studies, that immediate reform to the H-2A program's minimum wage policy, or the AEWRs, is necessary to avoid imminent widespread disruption across the U.S. agricultural sector. Without prompt action, agricultural employers will face severe labor shortages, resulting in disruption to food production, higher prices, and reduced access for U.S. consumers, particularly to fresh fruit and vegetables. Further, the Department concludes that qualified and eligible U.S. workers will not make themselves available in sufficient numbers, even at current wage levels, to fill the significant labor shortage in the agricultural sector. As discussed in detail below, the reforms contained in this IFR of the H-2A program's wage policy are urgently needed to restore the usability of the H-2A program and to provide a practical, lawful workforce alternative to illegal aliens. These changes ensure that agricultural employers offer fair wages to legally authorized workers—consistent with wages paid in comparable farm and non-farm jobs—while maintaining compliance with immigration law and supporting the stability of the nation's food supply.
Imagine that? Americans are unwilling to harvest their own food.
