Update on Hagan Amendment to Senate health care bill

Written by barb howe Thursday, 16 July 2009 15:01

Thanks to everyone who took part in the action alert and called Sen. Hagan's office to object to her amendment to exclude employers of seasonal farmworkers from the Senate health care bill, the Affordable Health Choices Act.  The bill was passed by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and was sent to the full Senate on Wednesday.  While Hagan's amendment was included in the bill, the final version did not specifically target farmworkers, only certain seasonal jobs.  Thanks again to all who helped push Sen. Hagan in the right direction.

STOP SEN. HAGAN’S PROPOSAL TO EXCLUDE FARMWORKERS FROM HEALTH CARE COVERAGE AND HEALTH CARE REFORM

Written by Bruce Goldstein Friday, 10 July 2009 08:45

Sen. Hagan (D-NC) introduced Amendment 200 for the health care reform bill being discussed in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, called the "Affordable Health Choices Act."

Hagan's amendment would exclude from the definition of "employees" any "temporary or seasonal agricultural workers . . . for the purposes of determining the size of an employer." Agricultural employers of seasonal farmworkers would not be required to participate in the system because they would be considered to be too small. Seasonal farmworkers would be denied health care coverage.

Seasonal agricultural workers earn an average of $12,500 to $15,000 per year . They put food on our table by cultivating and harvesting fruits and vegetables, raising chickens, herding sheep, cutting flowers, and harvesting our Christmas trees. They work in the second or third most dangerous occupation. They cannot afford health insurance. It's morally wrong -- and it's counterproductive economically -- to exclude farmworkers from the plans for a reformed health care system.

Call the Capitol Switchboard and ask for Sen. Hagan's office, 202-224-3121.

Ask Sen. Hagan to withdraw her amendment number 200 to the health care reform bill because farmworkers and their family members need health care coverage and health care reform.

Please also call your Senators on the HELP Committee. Ask them to oppose the Hagan amendment in the Senate HELP Committee to the health care reform bill, amendment number 200, that would deny seasonal farmworkers coverage under the new health care system. It is unfair, immoral and economically counterproductive.

You may call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
HELP COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Democrats by Rank
Edward Kennedy (MA)
Christopher Dodd (CT)
Tom Harkin (IA)
Barbara A. Mikulski (MD)
Jeff Bingaman (NM)
Patty Murray (WA)
Jack Reed (RI)
Bernard Sanders (I) (VT)
Sherrod Brown (OH)
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (PA)
Kay Hagan (NC)
Jeff Merkley (OR)

Republicans by Rank
Michael B. Enzi (WY)
Judd Gregg (NH)
Lamar Alexander (TN)
Richard Burr (NC)
Johnny Isakson (GA)
John McCain (AZ)
Orrin G. Hatch (UT)
Lisa Murkowski (AK)
Tom Coburn, M.D. (OK)
Pat Roberts (KS)

Congressional rep's ask Labor Sec. to Appoint Special Assistant for Farmworkers' Issues

Written by barb howe Wednesday, 08 July 2009 13:44

Almost 30 years ago the Department of Labor established an internal committee to coordinate its enforcement activities relating to farmworkers.  That committee has been inactive for a number of years but now 24 members of Congress have written to Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis urging her to appoint a Special Assistant to head this committee again in order to look out for the unique interests of agricultural workers.  You can read a copy of the letter here.  We'll let you know of any further developments.

Federal Judge in NC Stops Solis Reform of H-2A Guestworker Program

Written by Bruce Goldstein Monday, 29 June 2009 20:26

A bad day for farmworkers.  Monday, June 29.  A federal district court judge in North Carolina entered a preliminary injunction nationwide, preventing Secretary of Labor Solis from reversing the Bush-Chao changes to the H-2A guestworker program.  The judge said that he expected on full consideration to rule in favor of the growers that sued Solis and that the growers would suffer harm by having to pay the higher wage rates that the 20-year-old regulations required, rather than the Bush-Chao wage rates.  The Department of Labor is the defendant. 

The United Farm Workers and individual farmworkers, represented by Farmworker Justice and other counsel, intervened in the lawsuit to object to the growers' request.  The decision came down in very late afternoon eastern time Monday. 

 Meanwhile, there is a lawsuit pending in federal court in Washinton, D.C. that Farmworker Justice and others filed on behalf of the UFW, Farm Labor Organizing Committee, PCUN (Oregon's farmworker union) and individual farmworkers.  In the D.C. case, plaintiffs have asked for a substantive ruling on the merits to overturn the wage system that the Bush-Chao regulations imposed, slashing the wages of U.S. and foreign workers at H-2A employers.  The federal judge effectively said that Secretary Chao must impose the Bush-Chao wage rates without reviewing their legality, and their legality is under challenge in the DC case.

Next steps are being considered.