MEDIA

Feb 1, 2008

North Carolina Growers' Association and Farm Labor Organizing Committee Sign Precedent Setting Collective Bargaining Extension for H2-A Guest Workers

The North Carolina Growers' Association (NCGA), the nation's largest user of the H2-A guest worker program, has reached an historical agreement with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), a labor union that represents farm workers. The agreement extends what is not only the first labor agreement involving agricultural guest workers, but is also the first transnational labor agreement in U.S. history.

As a result of this agreement, and under the representation of FLOC, NCGA’s workers will enjoy freedom of association (the right to join a union), as well as a grievance procedure that mandates resolution of any employment related dispute in a timely fashion. The grievance procedure is unique in that it covers any issues that may arise while the worker is being recruited in Mexico, as well as any that arise during their employment period in the United States. Grievances will be resolved by the Dunlop Agricultural Commission, a private labor relations board. Under the agreement, NCGA’s workers also receive the following benefits:

• A seniority system for recruitment
  (Any worker who completes their contract as a guest worker will be eligible to return in future seasons, so there is no possibility for “blacklisting”.)
• Injury Pay
  (If a worker is hurt on the job, they are compensated as if they had worked the remainder of the day.)
• Three Days Bereavement Pay if a family member dies during their contract period
• A worker benevolent fund that helps workers pay for basic needs in the event of a long-term injury
• Access to a variety of non-profit organizations while at their labor camps, and even during work hours if necessary.
• A cooperative relationship with NCGA in the disposition of worker’s compensation cases

While virtually all other action regarding the current immigration crisis can be regarded as “just talk”, the North Carolina Growers’ Association and the Farm Labor Organizing Committee have taken real action. Their creative approach to labor relations not only increases the viability of the guest worker program for employers and employees, but increases it’s political viability as well, making it a possible key to the passage of meaningful immigration reform.