Labor

BREAKING: Washington Supreme Court sides with workers on piece-rate pay

On Thursday, the Supreme Court for the state of Washington ruled that farm workers who are paid a piece rate must also be compensated for rest breaks.The court made the decision unanimously.What does this mean... more »

IFTA tour story ripe with industry progress

Gary Pullano, associate editor for Fruit Growers News, is blogging this week from the International Fruit Tree Association's Regional Summer Tour in Washington state.When you gather 170 people from seven countries, including those from nine... more »

Computer glitches resolved; farm workers arrive from Mexico

A few weeks ago, we reported on a labor crisis that was crippling agriculture in Washington state.According to previous reports, H-2A workers were stranded at the American-Mexican border due to computer glitches. It appears that... more »

Plastic mulch machine can cut labor costs in half

At a Florida berry farm, it costs about $200 per acre in man-hours to remove plastic mulch and drip tape at the end of the season. By using a machine that can simultaneously lift and... more »

Some stranded workers cleared to cross border; others still waiting

According to wafla, a farm-labor organization based in Washington state, most of its members' farm workers who had been stranded at the U.S. border for more than a week obtained visas on Wednesday, June 17,... more »

Visa problems delaying farm workers coming to Washington

According to multiple new organizations, foreign guest workers are getting stuck at the border with visa problems – and the Washington cherry harvest is right around the corner.Here’s more from the Yakima Herald: U.S. Rep.... more »

Farm labor contracts require scrutiny

Craig Anderson had some pointed advice for growers who were contemplating the use of farm labor contractors this spring to help fill gaps in their shrinking employment pool. “We know a lot of them say,... more »

Dwindling options force more growers to use H-2A program

For years, agricultural employers and their advocates have been complaining about the state of the H-2A guest-worker program: It’s too expensive. There’s too much paperwork. It’s not flexible enough. And so on. Many hoped that... more »