Immigration IssuesNMPF, Ag Groups Work to See Changes to E-Verify Bill - June 27, 2011 In response to concerns that the use of E-Verify may soon become mandatory across the country, NMPF and several other agricultural interest groups sent a letter to the House leadership seeking inclusion of a “workable, efficient worker program that encompasses all of U.S. agriculture.” This came as a response to a bill offered by Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) that would impose mandatory E-Verify for all businesses in the United States, but would also pre-empt all state bills that have instituted similar and harsher legislation. The letter made the argument that in order to continue food production, the agricultural industry needed an opportunity to secure a suitable workforce. While no date had been scheduled for the House to start marking up H.R.2164, Smith’s Legal Workforce Act, NMPF and the agricultural community continued to advocate for positive changes to be made so that the agricultural industry could continue to function in an efficient and productive manner.
NMPF Backs New Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation in Senate to Address Dairy Farm Workforce Needs - June 23, 2011 Dairy farmers across the country will be able to use a federal visa program to access immigrant workers under new legislation introduced in the Senate. NMPF supported this approach to helping farmers ensure that their workforce needs are met. Seven U.S. Senators introduced the “Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011”, S. 1258. The lead sponsor was Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who introduced the bill along with Sens. Harry Reid (D-NV), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), and John Kerry (D-MA). The Senate legislation has been introduced in part because the U.S. Department of Labor had announced that it had no legal authority to include the dairy industry in the H-2A visa program. The legislation would rectify that situation, according to NMPF. Under present law, farms that hire seasonal workers to harvest fruits and vegetables can utilize the H-2A visa program. Dairy farms are not included because milk production is not considered seasonal work. Read more from NMPF's press release on the issue.
NMPF Study Finds Dairy Farms Rely Heavily on Foreign Workers - June 4, 2009 A comprehensive national survey of the employment practices of America’s dairy farmers found that they rely heavily on foreign-born workers, the loss of which would cripple many farms and create a ripple effect of job losses through the rural economy, according to NMPF, which sponsored the survey.
Working with researchers at Texas AgriLife Research, a component of the Texas A&M University System, NMPF surveyed more than 2,000 dairy farms last fall to assess their hiring practices. The survey found that U.S. dairies employed 138,000 full-time equivalent workers, of which 57,000, or 41%, were foreigners.
Respondents reported that they paid their workers $506 in average weekly wages, while most also reported providing at least one non-wage benefit to employees, such as paid vacation, housing, and/or insurance. Those non-wage benefits brought average dairy workers salaries in 2008 to $31,521, significantly higher than salaries in the landscaping, ranching, and fast food sectors, which employ similar proportions of immigrant workers.
Texas AgriLife Research estimated that if federal labor and immigrant policies were to result in the loss of just half of the 57,000 foreign-born dairy workers, an additional 66,000 workers would also be lost, due to the closure of some dairy farms, and the resulting multiplier effect of fewer jobs in grain and fertilizer production and sales, veterinary services, milk hauling, and related agricultural service jobs. This would produce an economic loss of $11 billion.
The complete press release about NMPF's study is available here. The survey is available here.
Letter to Members of the House of Representatives - September 19, 2008 When Congressman John McHugh (NY) introduced the Dairy and Sheep H-2A Visa Enhancement Act of 2008 (H.R. 6885), NMPF sent this letter to other House members praising the effort for immigrant labor reform for the dairy industry and encouraging other representatives to become cosponsors of the bill. Read the full letter here.
NMPF Submits Comments to the General Services Administration - August 11, 2008 After the Federal Register published a proposed E-Verify mandatory enrollment rule in its June 12, 2008 issue, NMPF President and CEO Jerry Kozak sent this letter to the General Services Administration that asked for clarification of the proposed rule and expressed concern about the rule's potential negative impacts on dairy farmers. Read the full letter here.
NMPF Calls on Senate to Pass Immigration Reform Measure for Agricultural Employers, Workers - May 19, 2008 Despite all of the work spent on the 2008 Farm Bill this month, the Senate was expected to address the Emergency Agriculture Relief Act (EARA), which would provide a temporary solution to the farm labor problem. Read NMPF's statement encouraging the Senate to support this immigration reform.
NMPF's Principles for Immigration Reform
For more information on these principles, visit this page.
Other Links Background and Talking Points on Immigration Reform "U.S. Dairy Producers’ Need for Immigration Reform" - NMPF Issues Brief
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