AMERICAN LABOUR:

THE LEGACY OF BUSH:

"The evil that me no lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones"

-Billy

The following appeal is from the United Farm Workers in the USA, and they want you to add your voice to the chorus for removal of one of the last evil acts of the reign of Emperor George Bush II.

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Help overturn Bush Administration's devastating H2A regulations:
Comment period ends Oct 5
Early this year we told you about the terrible actions taken by the Bush administration to change the regulations on H-2A guest worker program. The Bush administration regulations became effective on January 17 and have made devastating changes for farm workers.

Thousands of vulnerable farm workers in the United States—including both domestic and foreign workers--have suffered lower wages, lost benefits, reduced enforcement of their labor rights and lack of government oversight. The UFW, Farmworker Justice, PCUN and other farm worker organizations have challenged the legality of these regulations.

The H-2A agricultural guest worker program is supposed to ensure that U.S. workers are offered decent wages and working conditions before employers are permitted to hire foreign guest workers based on claimed labor shortages. But the Bush Administration’s changes gave agricultural employers access to cheap foreign labor with little government oversight.

On September 3rd, Department of Labor Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced a proposal to restore labor protections to the H-2A guest worker program.

It is absolutely essential that farm workers’ voices be heard in numbers as growers will fight to keep laws that do not protect farm workers.

Please take action today and submit a comment to the Department of Labor. Then take an extra step and ask your friends, colleagues and family to submit comments as well.

http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/h2aregs10509

Help us fight for farm workers’ interests and overturn these harmful rules.

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THE LETTER:

Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to the US Department of Labour.

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We join the UFW and other farm worker organizations in supporting changes to the H-2A guest worker program regulations. The terrible actions taken by the Bush administration to change these regulations have made devastating changes for farm workers.

Thousands of vulnerable farm workers in the United States--including both domestic and foreign workers--have suffered lower wages, lost benefits, reduced enforcement of their labor rights and lack of government oversight.

The H-2A agricultural guest worker program is supposed to ensure that U.S. workers are offered decent wages and working conditions before employers are permitted to hire foreign guest workers based on claimed labor shortages. But the Bush Administration's changes gave agricultural employers access to cheap foreign labor with little government oversight.

The Bush wage provisions adopted a badly chosen method for the deliberate effect of lowering workers' pay. Many workers suffered a $2.00 per hour wage cut this season.

We support the reinstatement of the job preference for U.S. workers, the minimum-work guarantee and other processes and protections. We also support the effort to regulate employers' use of farm labor contractors who recruit and hire guestworkers for the benefit of employers. However, more must be done to stop the victimization of guestworkers during recruitment abroad. The employers must be responsible for what their recruiters promise.
It is essential that the administration immediately overturn negative changes made last January. Farmworkers should not be forced to suffer another season under these unfair and unlawful policies.
Thank you.