Congressional Leaders Condemn "11th hour swipe at farm workers" as Bush Guestworker Plan is finalized
Written by barb howe Wednesday, 17 December 2008 17:56
Here is a two page summary of the new regulations 
and how they would hurt farmworkers.
Reactions from the Hill to the Bush plan have been strong:
"At a time when too many Americans are seeing their jobs and wages slip away, it's despicable that this is how the Bush administration is spending its final days," said Rep George Miller, chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor.
"Reducing pay, benefits and workplace protections for working men and women in America seems like an 18th century solution to this 21st century recession," according to Rep. Xavier Becerra of California.
Rep. John Conyers Jr., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said "this regulation will hurt American workers and make foreign guestworkers even more subject to abuse."
"With many families already burdened by this bad economy, our nation cannot afford these guest worker program changes", said Rep. Hilda Solis. "This recent action by the Bush administration is just the latest example of how out of touch the president is with working families, especially with Latino families that make up a large portion of the farm workers in this country.
"Given today's economic crisis," U.S. Rep. Howard L. Berman said, "it is stunning that on their way out the door, the Bush Administration would take this eleventh-hour swipe at farm workers who are already paid some of the lowest wages in the United States."
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, (D-CA) noted that "Once again the Bush Administration has shown that it is no friend to working people. ... These changes not only hurt foreign agricultural workers, but also undercut standards for American workers, as the new rules lower pay and working conditions for temporary foreign agricultural employees. My colleagues and I will work with the incoming Obama administration to ensure that these ill-conceived changes are undone."
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney called the changes "shameful" and asserts that they "are just a fig leaf for lowering America's labor standards industry wide."
Please take action now! Thousands have signed an online petition sponsored by the United Farm Workers (UFW), calling on the Obama Administration to overturn the changes as soon as possible.
Also, contact your Congressional representative and urge them to overturn the Bush plan.
To learn more about the H-2A guestworker program please see our report: Litany of Abuses .
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