Change to Win Statement On Labor Dept. Decision Reversing Bush Attack on Farmworker Labor Laws

May 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Change to Win executive director Chris Chafe issued the following statement regarding U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis’ decision yesterday to suspend the midnight Bush Administration changes to weaken labor protections in the H-2A guestworker program.

“Change to Win applauds Labor Secretary Hilda Solis for her decision to suspend and reconsider anti-worker regulations that were issued by the Bush Administration as a gift to growers on its way out the door. We are extremely grateful to Secretary Solis for standing up for workers and insisting that these unlawful, anti-worker rules be reviewed and reconsidered.

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“The Bush Administration’s ‘midnight’ regulations, if permitted to stand, would have caused significant hardship for resident U.S. workers and temporary foreign guest workers alike. They allowed growers to import guestworkers without any meaningful requirement to first determine whether the U.S. workers were available to fill those jobs -- an especially misguided measure in light of the recent economic downturn and rising unemployment. And they drastically lowered wages, travel cost reimbursements, labor protections, and housing standards for farmworkers.

“Yesterday’s decision provides a great relief for our nation’s farmworkers and will put working families a step closer to achieving the American Dream.”

The Labor Department decided to issue the suspension after a lawsuit was filed by farmworker unions, including the United Farm Workers (UFW), the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO (FLOC), Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN) challenging the legality of the changes. The lawsuit is still pending.

Source. Change to Win