February 2019 - 30

MANAGEMENT
Regelbrugge said one example
of implementing rational relief
in the H-2A program involves
the requirement to advertise
for workers.
" Under the current program
to apply for permission from
the Labor Department to use
foreign workers through the
H-2A program, a company must
go through a period where it is
actively trying to recruit U.S.
workers for job opportunities, "
he says. " A component of
that active recruitment is the
requirement to place multiple
Jr Page Basewell 7.5 x 10.75.qxp_Layout 1 9/7/18 12:05 PM Page 1
advertisements in newspapers in
general circulation in the area of
intended employment. Some of
those ads have to be placed on a
Sunday. Not only can the Labor
Department require a company to
advertise in the area of intended
employment, but it can also
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direct a company to advertise in
several other states where the Labor
Department claims there might
be available labor. This is a timeconsuming
and expensive process.
And rarely does it produce anything.
" One of the streamlining measures
being discussed is to move the
recruitment process to being done
with job postings on electronic job
registries. That is a significant cost
reduction measure when considering
the costs to place newspaper
advertisements. If newspaper ads
were producing workers, growers
would be willing to do this. Rarely
are American workers produced from
newspaper ads. "
Regelbrugge says one of the
biggest physical barriers to using
the program for a lot of growers is
the requirement to provide housing.
" The housing doesn't necessarily
need to be on a farm, " he states. " The
employer has to provide housing that
meets the applicable government
standards. For a lot of growers,
the investment in housing and the
logistics can be a big challenge.
" That is especially true in areas
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where zoning laws and the 'not in my
backyard syndrome' make it really
difficult. The state of Oregon is a
notable example. Zoning laws make
it particularly difficult to develop
new farm housing. It's a capital
investment problem and it's a big
upfront barrier. "
Although Regelbrugge is optimistic
that changes to the H-2A program
will be made, he says they are
unlikely to impact the horticulture
industry this year.
" These types of government
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programs are tied to the federal
government's fiscal year, which
starts Oct. 1, " he says. " The
soonest some significant program
improvements can be put in place
would be Oct. 1 of this year for the
2020 growing season.
" It depends on what the agencies
can do from a policy standpoint.
For example, facilitating that all
communication steps can be done
electronically rather than having to
deal with paper documents. This
is the sort of change that doesn't
require rulemaking. These are internal
procedural and policy matters. "
30 FEBRUARY 2019 GPNMAG.COMTo order, visit vaughans.com or call 855.864.3300

http://www.vaughans.com

February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2019