Labor Secretary Solis Suspends Bush's Midnight Farm Rules

Just before President Bush left office, his administration introduced a set of rules which would make it both easier and cheaper for agricultural employers to hire temporary migrant workers. Now Friday, the day that Secretary Solis was officially sworn into office, she has gone about setting things right again.

The Bush rules cut wages temporary migrant workers would receive for their labor, as well as lowered the amount employers had to contribute toward migrant travel costs.

The rules were deeply criticized by labor, farm worker, and immigrants' rights groups, as they would further exploit the work of H2A visa holders and take jobs away from U.S. workers. Critics of the H2A guestworker programs (like FCNL) challenge the fact that guestworker programs often cause employers to make permanent jobs temporary. Moreover, the guestworker program binds a worker's visa status to a single employer, giving the employer power over the worker and thus increasing the liklihood of exploitation.

The Bush rules only made things worse.

At FCNL, we applaud Secretary Solis for taking this first step in suspending the farm rules and upholding both immigrant and labor rights.

For more information, see the NY Times article "Labor Secretary Proposes Suspending Farm Rules."

Congratulations, Secretary Solis!

I am pleased to say that the Senate finally confirmed Congresswoman Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor!

Her confirmation had previously been postponed due to partisan bickering and a review of her husband's taxes. But the Senate continued with her hearing yesterday and came out with a positive vote.

This is great news for our communities. As Frank Sherry, the director of America's Voice said:

"Secretary Solis understands how our dysfunctional immigration system leads to worker exploitation. When millions of undocumented workers are without the protection of the law, it encourages unscrupulous employers to undercut the wages and working conditions of all workers. These bad actor employers also undercut honest competitors who do play fair. Strong labor law enforcement combined with immigration reform that brings undocumented workers out of the shadows will restore the rule of law to both the labor market and the immigration system. We look forward to working with Secretary Solis and other members of the Obama Administration to make this goal a reality in the coming year."

Congratulations, Secretary Solis!