Jan 22, 2015

Washington growers claim H-2A wages are too high

Last month, the minimum wage for thousands of workers in Washington jumped by nearly 5 percent to $12.42 an hour.

The new pay raises apply only to a select group of people: foreigners hired as seasonal farmhands. The workers, hired under the federal H-2A visa program — the main channel for bringing in temporary agriculture workers legally — must be paid wages intended to protect U.S. citizens and legal residents from being undercut by cheaper imported labor.

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The Seattle Times