Labor problems top issue for FFVA leaders
Labor problems top issue for FFVA leaders
WASHINGTON -- With immigration reform in limbo, the border crackdown continuing and planting season around the corner, the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association's top leaders see the continuing farm labor shortage as the most pressing issues facing growers today.
The association's top leaders met June 23-24 and the top issue on the agenda was the concern over dimming prospects for immigration reform in Congress.
"Labor is the most important challenge facing Florida producers today," FFVA Chairman Tony DiMare said during the two-day meeting.
Earlier this month, Republican leaders in the House announced plans to hold hearings on the issue around the country this summer, a move likely to affect the future of the already passed legislation awaiting conference.
Sally Tibbetts, a staffer for Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL), told the association's board of directors that the House leadership's plan to hold hearings "isn't necessarily a bad thing" because it may help House lawmakers understand the Senate bill provisions.
The bad news, though, is the walkouts organized by immigrant workers to protest border security-only legislation may not have helped the cause, she said. After those images led nightly news programs, members of Congress received calls from constituents saying they didn't want a guest worker program in the bill.
Supporters of a bill that would contain a temporary guest worker program for agricultural workers are still hopeful that Congress can bridge the differences between the two versions of the bill.
The best chances may come after the election during a lame duck session.
But while the political battle for immigration reform has been splashed across the front pages of daily newspapers, a little known regulation proposed in June by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security also may affect the labor crisis.
The Bush administration announced proposed rules that would make it easier for employers to verify employment eligibility and hold them accountable for the workers they hire. One regulation would change the rules for employers when handling so-called no-match letters from the Social Security Administration.
"Most businesses want to do the right thing when it comes to employing legal workers," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in announcing the new proposals. "These new regulations will give U.S. businesses the necessary tools to increase the likelihood that they are employing workers consistent with our laws. They also help us to identify and prosecute employers who are blatantly abusing our immigration system."
When a worker's Social Security number does not match the worker's name on tax or employment eligibility documents, the federal government sends out a "no-match" letter asking them to resolve the discrepancy. The government estimates as many as 10 percent of the more than 250 million wage reports the Social Security Administration receives each year don't match up.
The "no match" proposal -- now subject to a 60-day comment period -- would tighten the system and increase the responsibility of employers in situations when they receive a no-match letter from the SSA or DHS. It also describes "safe-harbor" procedures for employers to use in dealing with such a letter.
With the latest crackdown on border security and new regulations that tighten hiring procedures, many growers are taking another look at the ailing H2A program to find an adequate workforce, said FFVA's Ray Gilmer. The program may be "clunky" and require on- site housing, but it could offer an alternative, he said.
But one thing is certain: Growers need to pay close attention to these issues, he said. No matter what happens in Congress, there will be a different system for authorizing workers, he added.
The association's top leaders met June 23-24 and the top issue on the agenda was the concern over dimming prospects for immigration reform in Congress.
"Labor is the most important challenge facing Florida producers today," FFVA Chairman Tony DiMare said during the two-day meeting.
Earlier this month, Republican leaders in the House announced plans to hold hearings on the issue around the country this summer, a move likely to affect the future of the already passed legislation awaiting conference.
Sally Tibbetts, a staffer for Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL), told the association's board of directors that the House leadership's plan to hold hearings "isn't necessarily a bad thing" because it may help House lawmakers understand the Senate bill provisions.
The bad news, though, is the walkouts organized by immigrant workers to protest border security-only legislation may not have helped the cause, she said. After those images led nightly news programs, members of Congress received calls from constituents saying they didn't want a guest worker program in the bill.
Supporters of a bill that would contain a temporary guest worker program for agricultural workers are still hopeful that Congress can bridge the differences between the two versions of the bill.
The best chances may come after the election during a lame duck session.
But while the political battle for immigration reform has been splashed across the front pages of daily newspapers, a little known regulation proposed in June by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security also may affect the labor crisis.
The Bush administration announced proposed rules that would make it easier for employers to verify employment eligibility and hold them accountable for the workers they hire. One regulation would change the rules for employers when handling so-called no-match letters from the Social Security Administration.
"Most businesses want to do the right thing when it comes to employing legal workers," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in announcing the new proposals. "These new regulations will give U.S. businesses the necessary tools to increase the likelihood that they are employing workers consistent with our laws. They also help us to identify and prosecute employers who are blatantly abusing our immigration system."
When a worker's Social Security number does not match the worker's name on tax or employment eligibility documents, the federal government sends out a "no-match" letter asking them to resolve the discrepancy. The government estimates as many as 10 percent of the more than 250 million wage reports the Social Security Administration receives each year don't match up.
The "no match" proposal -- now subject to a 60-day comment period -- would tighten the system and increase the responsibility of employers in situations when they receive a no-match letter from the SSA or DHS. It also describes "safe-harbor" procedures for employers to use in dealing with such a letter.
With the latest crackdown on border security and new regulations that tighten hiring procedures, many growers are taking another look at the ailing H2A program to find an adequate workforce, said FFVA's Ray Gilmer. The program may be "clunky" and require on- site housing, but it could offer an alternative, he said.
But one thing is certain: Growers need to pay close attention to these issues, he said. No matter what happens in Congress, there will be a different system for authorizing workers, he added.
