Attempt to Block H-2A Farmworker Wage Rule Denied by Court (1)

Florida fruit growers and a national agricultural employer group failed in a bid to block a rule revising minimum wage rates for agricultural workers on temporary visas.

Florida district court Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell adopted a January recommendation from a federal magistrate judge that a preliminary injunction on the rule be denied, finding that the US Department of Labor had provided sufficient justification for the overhaul of wage standards.

The February 2023 rule required that the highest possible wage be paid to a farmworker on an H-2A visa when they perform duties falling under multiple job classifications. The rule also ...