U.S. Department of Labor to Offer Seminar for Agricultural Employers, October 16 and 17, 2019

EDINBURG, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will hold a compliance seminar for agricultural employers in Edinburg, Texas, on October 16 and 17, 2019. The seminar will offer employers, company managers, agents, human resources professionals, and other interested parties a chance to hear from and speak directly with federal and state agency representatives and other stakeholders on issues regarding the H-2A and H-2B Foreign Labor Certification programs, the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. 

The seminar offers a one-stop training opportunity for attendees to better understand H-2A and H-2B worker visa programs, including wages, recordkeeping, safety and health, housing and transportation and worksite enforcement. In addition to Wage and Hour Division officials, representatives from the Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Workforce Solutions, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are scheduled to attend.

The event is part of WHD’s ongoing effort to increase awareness and improve compliance with agricultural labor law requirements. Attendance is free, but pre-registration is required. For more information and to register, call 956-682-4631.

WHD’s mission is to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the Nation's workforce. WHD enforces Federal minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. WHD also enforces the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, wage garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act, and a number of employment standards and worker protections as provided in several immigration related statutes. Additionally, WHD administers and enforces the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act and other statutes applicable to Federal contracts for construction and for the provision of goods and services.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.