Farmers head into the new year facing a slew of unresolved issues, including the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. As a result, the Adverse Effect Wage Rate is forecast to be $17.41 an hour this year.
Mark Powers, president of the Northwest Horticultural Council says it could be worse, but doing nothing is not the answer.
“Is it perfect? No. Would we wish it was higher? Yes,” he says. “But right now, doing nothing has resulted in, you know, a six percent increase, right? We’re trying to find some sort of ability for growers to plan and to get lower rates and their administrative changes and other things.”
Powers says government typically moves slowly and that’s not always a bad thing.
“On the labor side it’s actually the reverse,” he says. “I wish that they had acted years ago because the lack of action is putting people out of business.”
He adds that was avoidable.
“This increase of $1.39 over what it would have been, or the 6 percent, to $17.41, it’s going to put people out of business,” says Powers. “There will be fewer growers, and that’s my message to Congress and anybody that’ll listen, is that the more you postpone, the more inflation kicks in and the more that it automatically goes up, and we need to change that.”
Powers says he hopes the Senate can finally pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act that could bring H-2A and wage rate reform.