Posts By: Jeff Janas
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Western Growers Responds to Justice Department’s Focus on Felons, Not Farmworkers
Attorney General Jeff Sessions told Fox News last week that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities will be directed toward deporting felons, not farmworkers. Sessions said the Justice Department does not intend to target illegal immigrants who have not committed crimes beyond illegally entering the country. In response to his statements, Western Growers’ President ...
26th California Water Policy Conference to be Held in San Diego April 6-7
The 26th Annual California Water Policy Conference will be held this month in San Diego from April 6-7 and will bring together water leaders representing agricultural, environmental, urban, government and private sector constituencies, as well as interested individuals from the general public. The conference provides a unique forum where attendees can inform and be informed ...
Western Growers Signs on to Letter to Trump Emphasizing Importance of Immigration Reform
Last week, Western Growers joined other members of the Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC) in sending a letter to President Donald Trump. The letter emphasized the importance of immigration reform for America’s farmers and ranchers. The letter, signed by 70 groups representing a diversity of commodities and regions, called for reforms that ensures American agriculture has a ...
Western Growers Announces Partnership with New Mexico Chile Association
Late last week, Western Growers and the New Mexico Chile Association (NMCA) announced the formation of a strategic partnership following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that allows each party to coordinate on business matters and policy issues of mutual interest. Under the terms of the agreement, all NMCA members that grow, distribute, ...
Have an Employment Opportunity? Register for the Farmer Veteran Coalition Career Fair
Farmer Veteran Coalition, a national nonprofit organization that assists military veterans embarking on careers in agriculture, will host a Veteran Career Fair April 19, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Satellite Student Union aboard California State University, Fresno. The event provides a public platform to allow the Coalition to continue building on ...
Help a Veteran Find a Job in Ag — Participate in the Farmer Veteran Coalition Career Fair April 19
Farmer Veteran Coalition, a national nonprofit organization that assists military veterans embarking on careers in agriculture, will host a Veteran Career Fair April 19, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Satellite Student Union aboard California State University, Fresno. The event provides a public platform to allow the Coalition to continue building on ...
DIR Issues Revised “FAQ” On Paid Sick Leave Law
The California Department of Industrial Relations has updated its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) concerning implementation of the state’s paid sick leave (PSL) law. The FAQ clarifies that employers may not generally deny the employee the right to use, or discipline an employee for using, any available PSL, regardless of the employer’s attendance policy. However, an ...
2017 Allowable Charges for H-2A Workers’ Meals and Travel Costs Released
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued a notice announcing the allowable charges that H-2A employers may charge their workers when the employer provides three meals a day and the maximum travel subsistence meal reimbursement that a worker with receipts may claim in 2017. The notice also includes a reminder regarding an H-2A employers’ ...
Employers Should Review Form I-9 for Social Security Number Glitch
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a notice informing employers that if they downloaded the “Smart Form” version of the Form I-9 between November 14 and November 17, 2016, they should now download, save, and start using a new Form I-9. There was a glitch when the revised Form I-9 was first published ...
CA Senate Confirms Isadore Hall to ALRB
Despite staunch opposition from the agricultural community, the California Senate confirmed former Senator Isadore Hall to the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) today on a 25-13 vote. Since his initial appointment by Governor Jerry Brown in January, Western Growers has expressed dismay with the decision. The process for appointing Hall was flawed, as the governor ...
May 1: Another Day Without Immigrants; ICE Audit Guidance
As we reported here in anticipation of the February 16 “Day Without Immigrants,” employers need to prepare for another potential walkout on May 1, 2017. Unions and worker advocates, including The Food Chain Workers Alliance, have announced that thousands of workers across the food system—from farm workers to restaurant workers—will be striking on May 1. ...
Trump Issues Agriculture and Rural Task Force Executive Order
On Tuesday, following the official swearing-in of Sonny Perdue as the new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, President Trump held a roundtable discussion with 15 farmers that included Western Growers’ Board Member A.G. Kawamura. The discussion focused on the issues of agricultural trade, regulatory reform, rural investment and infrastructure, the Farm Bill, and agricultural labor. Following…
USCIS Issues New High-Tech Green Cards
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 19, 2017, that it will begin issuing revamped Permanent Resident Cards (commonly referred to as “green cards”) and Employment Authorization Documents (EAD Cards) as a part of the Next Generation Secure Identification Document Project. The project is intended to modernize security measures through advanced biometrics…
Approved Prop 1 Safe Drinking Water Grant Program Projects Available on Natural Resources Website
In 2014, California voters passed Proposition 1 (Prop 1), a $7.545 billion statewide ballot initiative also known as the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014. While many people may think of Prop 1 as solely a mechanism for funding water supply infrastructure projects such as surface and groundwater storage, the general obligation ...
Critical Arizona Plant Services Appropriation Reaches Governor’s Desk Ahead of Final Budget Resolution
Legislation that will be part of Arizona’s overall budget deal, HB 2253, was sent to Governor Doug Ducey today after the Senate passed it 28-2. The bill appropriates $150,000 to the Arizona Department of Agriculture’s Plant Services Division to supplement a loss of federal grant funding. The appropriation allows the Department to continue serving the ...
Nassif Responds to Introduction of Senate “Blue Card” Bill
Yesterday, the Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2017 was introduced in the U.S. Senate. The bill, which incorporates elements of the “blue card” provisions contained in the failed 2013 Senate immigration bill, would allow undocumented farmworkers who have worked in agriculture for at least 100 days in the previous two years to earn blue card ...
Register for USDA’s Webinar on How to Access Free Market Information on Organics
The USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) is hosting a live, interactive webinar on Organic Reporting within their multiple Market News divisions, including Specialty Crops. Registrants will learn how the AMS’s Market News programs can provide interested parties with FREE access to the market information on organic products. The webinar will cover areas such as: ...
Trump Administration Formally Announces NAFTA Renegotiation Process to Congress
Today, Congress was formally notified by the Trump administration of its intent to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The notification is necessary to begin a 90-day consultation process with Congress. The administration previously indicated that it would seek to renegotiate a better trade deal with both Mexico and Canada in lieu of ...
Arizona Industrial Commission Updates Minimum Wage and Earned Sick Time FAQs
To assist users with better understanding Proposition 206 (The Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act) and its implementation, the Arizona Industrial Commission recently updated the FAQ’s for minimum wage and earned paid sick time requirements. Proposition 206 is a state-wide ballot initiative that passed in November of 2016. The measure has two parts: 1) a ...
California Labor Commissioner Issues Guidance on Paid Sick Leave Law
The California Labor Commissioner has issued new guidance on the state’s paid sick leave law (“PSL”). The guidance answers questions concerning an employer’s use of a “grandfathered” (existing) paid time off (“PTO”) plan to provide PSL, as well as the application of employer attendance policies when employee use PSL. The new guidance takes into consideration ...