Foreign Farmworker Labor Protections Bolstered in Final Rule (2)

Farmworkers on temporary visas would get new protections aimed at bolstering labor organizing efforts under newly finalized Labor Department regulations.

The rule, released Friday, aims to prevent employers from coercing workers to attend “captive audience” meetings—mandatory meetings featuring employer arguments against unionization. It also clarifies what are considered “for cause” terminations of workers on H-2A visas. And the rule ensures that they can invite guests to employer-provided housing although it significantly modifies provisions of a draft proposal requiring access for labor organizations.

Farmworkers on temporary visas aren’t covered by the National Labor Relations Act, the statute guaranteeing private sector ...