Farmers Sue Government to Stop Migrant Worker Wage Hike (1)

A farming industry group is suing the Labor Department to try to avoid having to pay temporary foreign workers as much as $15 an hour.

The National Council of Agricultural Employers called new wage floors for H-2A workers “disastrous.” The group, along with Nevada farming company Peri & Sons Inc., asked a federal court in Washington, D.C., to halt the requirements before they take effect Jan. 9.

The new requirements increase state-by-state play floors, which currently top out at $14 an hour. They’re meant to dissuade agriculture employers from bringing in cheaper foreign workers in place of U.S. citizen laborers. ...