Posts By: Jason Resnick

H-2A Wage Rates to Rise on January 9, 2019

On December 26, 2018, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (Department) issued its Federal Register Notice to announce the 2019 Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWRs). This notice applies to the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (H–2A workers) to perform agricultural labor or services. AEWRs are the minimum ...

Wage Order 14 Update Now Approved and Published

The January 2019 update to Wage Order 14 has received final approval and is now published and in effect. The revised wage order includes the minimum wage in effect for employers with 26 or more employees ($12.00/hour) and employers with 25 or fewer employees ($11.00/hour), as well as future approved increases The wage order also ...

Lawsuit Filed To Halt H-2A Wage Increase

As we reported here, the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE), which Western Growers serves on their Executive Committee, has sued the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to stop unsustainable increases in the minimum wage for H-2A visa foreign guestworkers, known at the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (ARWR).  The 2019 AEWR rates are now in ...

California Labor Commissioner Provides Guidance on Agricultural Overtime Pay Schedule

The California Department of Industrial Relations released a statement regarding the agricultural overtime pay schedule that went into effect January 1. The law’s overtime pay requirements will be phased in according to the table below.   Effective date for employers with 26 or more employees (“large companies”):   Effective date for employers with 25 or ...

New California Employment Laws for 2019

The Democratic-controlled California Legislature was very busy last year, passing over 1,200 bills, more than 1,000 of which were signed into law by the governor. Dozens of employment and labor bill were signed into law, and several of those were instigated by the #MeToo movement. All of the laws summarized below are effective January 1, ...