Rep. Crawford leads effort to freeze wages for H-2A visa guestworkers

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, co-led a letter to the leadership of the House Appropriations Committee requesting an H-2A visa guestworker wage freeze in upcoming appropriations legislation.

He was joined in this effort by more than 100 other members of Congress.

“A robust agriculture industry starts with a strong and healthy workforce. However, due to a labor shortage, American farmers are increasingly turning to overseas workers to fill positions on the farm,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the H-2A guestworker program has not been working for farmers because of the overly complex process and the skyrocketing federally mandated wage rate. A permanent solution is needed to address this pressing issue and support Arkansas’ farmers in ensuring national food security and feeding families across our nation,” added Crawford.

The freeze would impact the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), according to the letter. The national average AEWR rate is $18.12. That’s a 3% increase from last year and in some areas of the country it’s a more than 10% spike.

It was noted that Canada has a national AEWR rate of only $12 and Mexico’s is $1 to $2, the letter states.

“This uneven playing field greatly disadvantages our domestic producers,” the letter states.