Farmworker Protections Boosted in Labor Department Proposal (1)

Temporary farmworkers would get added employment protections and the US Department of Labor would be able to take swifter action against employers that violate the rules, under new proposed regulations from the agency.

The 327-page proposed rule would strengthen protections against retaliation and improve transparency in foreign recruitment, the agency said Tuesday. The proposal builds on regulations issued in October to improve workplace conditions for foreign farmworkers on H-2A temporary visas.

The H-2A program allows farm employers to bring in foreign workers for temporary or seasonal jobs when adequate US workers can’t be found to do that work, and when ...