Foreign Farmworker Labor Rights Rule Faces Another Lawsuit

A trade group representing North Carolina farmers wants a federal judge to strike down a final rule providing foreign farmworkers with union organizing protections similar to what private sector workers receive under the National Labor Relations Act.

The North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation’s Friday lawsuit argues that the April final regulation covering farmworkers in the US on a H-2A visa exceeds the Labor Department’s authority and conflicts with Congress’ intentional move to exempt agricultural employees from NLRA protections. The trade group told the US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina that providing H-2A visa holders with NLRA-style ...