H-2B wage increase set for Sept. 30
Monday, August 08, 2011
Associations are calling for landscapers to contact their
legislators in efforts to block the measure.
The Department of Labor has announced that the effective date of
the H-2B wage methodology rule is Sept. 30. Originally, the
effective date was set for Jan. 1, 2012.
The final rule will increase H-2B hourly wages for landscaping
services by about $3.60 per hour. Read the notice published in the
Federal Register here.
Associations like PLANET and ANLA are trying to block the rule,
saying the actual cost to H-2B users could be far greater than the
DOL estimates because it did not account for labor increases for
similarly employed American workers or more experienced American
workers whose pay should be proportional to the hourly wage earned
by lesser skilled workers.
The H-2B Workforce Coalition estimates that the rule will result
in annual increases of about $100,000-$4,000 on individual seasonal
businesses that use the H-2B program.
After the Federal Register announcement, PLANET made another call
for members to contact their senators and representatives to ask
them to sign a bipartisan letter to block the ruling. The letter is
being circulated by Rep. Robert Wittman (R-Va.)
Source: Lawnandlandscape.com