Immigration/Agricultural Labor Reform
The cost and availability of a predictable, consistent and legal supply of labor is a critical issue for the U.S. apple industry. Apple production and harvesting is highly labor-intensive. From pruning to picking, packing, and processing, labor accounts for approximately 50 percent of the cost of producing apples in the United States. The U.S. apple industry is heavily dependent on migrant labor and H-2A workers to harvest, pack and process apples and apple products.
Serious reforms are need to the current H-2A guest worker program for agriculture.
The program has become cost-prohibitive for many growers as wages in some states exceed $9.00 per hour. This is in addition to transportation and housing costs which must be paid for by the grower. The prohibitive costs and requirements of the program have resulted in very low grower participation across agriculture. It is estimated that about 2-5% of agriculture currently utilizes the H-2A program.
In addition, there is a critical need to address the illegal immigrants already working in U.S. agriculture. USApple supports the type of approach included in the AgJOBS bill which would allow workers the opportunity to earn an adjustment to their legal status over a period of years. Under the AgJOBS bill, a worker must continue working in agriculture for at least 360 days over the next 3-6 years. This approach guarantees a stable, qualified workforce will continue to be available for agriculture positions until the improved guest worker program is up and ready.
Social Security Administration database checks have revealed a large percentage of seasonal agricultural workers are fraudulently documented. Department of Labor studies suggest over 50 percent of the work force is improperly documented. Anecdotal evidence suggests the number is over 70 percent. Almost all new entrants into the agricultural labor force are improperly documented, according to the Department of Labor.
USApple has long been an active member of the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform (ACIR), a broad based coalition of groups representing labor intensive agriculture working in support of the AgJOBS legislation introduced by Senators Craig (R-ID) and Kennedy (D-MA).
In December of 2005, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4437, "The Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005." The bill calls for an automatic verification of Social Security numbers of all workers at the time of hire, and increases employer fines and sanctions.
If H.R. 4437 were to become law it would eliminate up to 70% of the agriculture workforce overnight with no system in place to replace them. According to an economic analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation, up to 1/3 of fruit and vegetable growers would go out of business. Farm income would drop $5 -$12 billion annually.
In March 2006, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a comprehensive immigration bill which included border security, guestworker provisions and important reforms to the H-2A program. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) convinced the Judiciary Committee to incorporate the major provision of the AgJOBS legislation into their bill.
Though the comprehensive legislation passed the Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support, the Senate is divided.
As Congress continues to debate this important issue we urge that the unique needs of agriculture be considered. The U.S. apple industry supports border security and enforcement of our laws, but a comprehensive approach, such as that included in the Senate Judiciary Committee's bill is critical for the industry's survival.
USApple has written letters to key members of the House of Representatives (click here for a sample of the letter) and the entire U.S. Senate (click here for a sample of the letter). We have also prepared a sample letter that you can personalize and send to your lawmakers (click here for a copy of the letter).
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