Farm Worker Program Changes Could Handicap the Program

The proposed alterations to the H-2A Visa program by the Departments of Labor and Homeland Security may present significant hurdles for growers nationwide.

Kate Tynan, Senior Vice President at the Northwest Horticultural Council, emphasizes the importance of safeguarding workers' rights, but she believes these suggestions would impose substantial financial burdens on growers.

“I’ve been working on these issues for going on 20 years now, and the bias within these proposed rules is the worst I’ve ever seen against growers. It just really makes the assumption that all growers are bad actors, which clearly is not the case.”

But Tynan says that doesn’t mean everyone is perfect.

“Just look at the small number of significant H-2A violations that you see. I mean, we absolutely believe that violators of the program should be penalized. That being said, taking significant steps such as denying access to the program or debarring an employer from the program for a significant period of time, you know, those really don’t match up with the supposed violations or the problems the growers have supposedly taken.”

Tynan says violations of these proposed rules would discontinue employment services to a grower.

“Which is a minimum of a 20-day process to actually petition to regain access to those programs.”