Labor
Washington groups sue state over emergency COVID-19 regulations
Leading agriculture groups in Washington state announced Feb. 2 they are taking legal action against the sate of Washington over recently renewed emergency COVID-19 regulations they say are ill-conceived, increase health risks to essential farm... more »
IRS reverses course; H-2A wages now eligible for FFCRA tax credit
The IRS has reversed course on its interpretation of whether H-2A wages are eligible for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) tax credit. On Jan. 28, the IRS issued new guidance in the form... more »
OSHA issues stronger COVID-19 guidance
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued stronger COVID-19 Guidance. Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace was posted Jan. 29. Summary: This guidance is intended to... more »
Washington state’s Evans Fruit fined $150K For COVID-19 violations
A Yakima, Washington, area fruit grower and processor has been fined more than $150,000 by the Washington state Department of Labor & Industries Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) for violating COVID-19 workplace requirements designed to... more »
South African H-2A workers get exemption from travel ban
The State Department agreed Jan. 28 to give H-2A workers from South Africa an exemption from the U.S. travel ban taking effect on Saturday. The national interest exemption will also apply to some H-2B visa... more »
17th Annual Washington State Agriculture Safety Day: Production to Processing
Agriculture Safety Day is one of the finest safety conferences in the Pacific Northwest and is focused on the agriculture industry. Registration for the 17th annual Agriculture Safety Day is now open. Sign up today... more »
UC Davis launches $3M project to improve farmworker COVID-19 safety
California’s 800,000 farmworkers have been hit hard by COVID-19, the disease that has infected more than 25 million people and killed more than 420,000 in the United States. Farmworkers are especially vulnerable to the airborne... more »
Biden administration nixes H-2A regulation reforms
Immigration reform legislation that President Joe Biden introduced on his first day in office seeks to legalize millions of undocumented workers. At the same time he proposed immigration reform, Biden withdrew the Trump administration’s just... more »