November 2024 - 36

LABOR
Tree fruit worker decision sparks reaction
Washington state labor ruling could affect growers nationally
BY DOUG OHLEMEIER
ASSISTANT EDITOR
B
y clouding farmworker pay
systems, a court ruling on
Washington state H-2A rules
could make tree fruit harvesting
more costly nationally.
In July, U.S. District Judge John
Chun ruled in favor of Familias Unidas
por la Justicia AFL-CIO, a farmworker
union, which challenged the rules
governing how farmworkers are paid.
The decision, tinyurl.com/y22kh4b5,
directs enforcement in the state of
the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL)
policy that requires prevailing wage
rates to expire after one calendar year
and that the 2022 prevailing wage
rates be reinstated.
In the preliminary injunction, the
court did not consider all the facts
regarding how the agricultural
industry works, said Scott Dilley,
public affairs director of the Lacey,
Washington-based Worker and
Farmer Labor Association (WAFLA).
The type of pay systems, including
hourly vs. traditional piece rate vs.
hourly plus bonus, in Washington's
labor-intensive agriculture have
changed substantially in recent
years, he said. Examples include
different marketplace conditions,
labor availability, hourly overtime
rates of pay, different cropping
activities, inflation, increasing
Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR)
rates and trade issues, he said.
Three-year-old data is stale and
isn't representative of current labor
and market conditions, which is why
DOL's H-2A rules limit applicability of
survey data to only one year,
Dilley said.
" Growers in Washington need to
pay close attention to their harvest
activities this year, " Dilley said. " If
they offer piece-rate pay, they need to
make sure that they are paying at least
the rates from the 2022 survey results,
which the judge reinstated. This case
could have national implications. "
36 | NOVEMBER 2024
A court's ruling on Washington's H-2A rules could affect tree fruit growers
nationally. Photo courtesy of Riveridge.
Because some workers may have
earned more on piece rate several
years ago doesn't mean that all
workers can necessarily earn more
on piece rate today, he said. AEWR
rates have increased over the past
few years, while commodity prices
have not kept pace with those
costs, Dilley said.
" A viable economic agricultural
model from a few years ago
is increasingly not viable or
sustainable now, " Dilley said.
" Plaintiffs seem to be living in the
past, while farmers and current
workers seem to better understand
the current ag economic conditions
on the ground. "
Dilley said it's difficult to
determine how the ruling could
affect grower costs nationally, which
depends on the worker productivity,
fruit variety harvested and harvest
market conditions.
" It is not even the direct cost. It's
the administration of the ruling, "

November 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2024

Editor's Letter
Pome Fruit: Industry initiative
Irrigation & Water Management: Maintaining grove water
Tree Fruit: Grove insights
Plums: Plum factors
Great Lakes EXPO News: Juice processing and berry fertilization
Great Lakes EXPO Schedule
40 Under Forty Class of 2024
Soil Health: Cutting chemical fumigation
Labor: Tree fruit worker decision sparks reaction
Tree Fruit Variety Showcase
2025 Fruit & Nut Growers Buyers' Guide
Organic Grower Fall 2024
Fresh Views: A team approach to plant disease management
Farm Market & Agritourism: Choosing the right market channel
Ag Labor Review: Candid discussions regarding ag labor dilemmas
Classifieds
Advertiser Index
November 2024 - 1
November 2024 - 2
November 2024 - 3
November 2024 - Editor's Letter
November 2024 - 5
November 2024 - Pome Fruit: Industry initiative
November 2024 - 7
November 2024 - 8
November 2024 - 9
November 2024 - Irrigation & Water Management: Maintaining grove water
November 2024 - 11
November 2024 - 12
November 2024 - 13
November 2024 - Tree Fruit: Grove insights
November 2024 - 15
November 2024 - 16
November 2024 - 17
November 2024 - Plums: Plum factors
November 2024 - 19
November 2024 - 20
November 2024 - 21
November 2024 - Great Lakes EXPO News: Juice processing and berry fertilization
November 2024 - Great Lakes EXPO Schedule
November 2024 - 24
November 2024 - 40 Under Forty Class of 2024
November 2024 - 26
November 2024 - 27
November 2024 - 28
November 2024 - 29
November 2024 - 30
November 2024 - 31
November 2024 - 32
November 2024 - Soil Health: Cutting chemical fumigation
November 2024 - 34
November 2024 - 35
November 2024 - Labor: Tree fruit worker decision sparks reaction
November 2024 - 37
November 2024 - Tree Fruit Variety Showcase
November 2024 - 39
November 2024 - 40
November 2024 - 41
November 2024 - 42
November 2024 - 2025 Fruit & Nut Growers Buyers' Guide
November 2024 - 44
November 2024 - 45
November 2024 - 46
November 2024 - 47
November 2024 - 48
November 2024 - 49
November 2024 - 50
November 2024 - 51
November 2024 - 52
November 2024 - 53
November 2024 - 54
November 2024 - 55
November 2024 - 56
November 2024 - 57
November 2024 - 58
November 2024 - 59
November 2024 - 60
November 2024 - 61
November 2024 - 62
November 2024 - Organic Grower Fall 2024
November 2024 - 64
November 2024 - 65
November 2024 - 66
November 2024 - 67
November 2024 - Fresh Views: A team approach to plant disease management
November 2024 - 69
November 2024 - 70
November 2024 - 71
November 2024 - Farm Market & Agritourism: Choosing the right market channel
November 2024 - 73
November 2024 - Ag Labor Review: Candid discussions regarding ag labor dilemmas
November 2024 - 75
November 2024 - Classifieds
November 2024 - 77
November 2024 - Advertiser Index
November 2024 - 79
November 2024 - 80
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