Rick Scott seeks freeze on wage increases for H-2A field workers
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott is among the 15 signatories to a U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo letter seeking a “freeze” to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR).
This rate applies to “temporary nonimmigrant workers under the H-2A visa classification,” according to the federal Department of Labor.
While Florida’s $14.77 compensation rate for these field workers is among the lowest in the country, Scott and the other Republicans on the letter seek a moratorium, especially given the rate of increase.
Nationally, the average wage has more than doubled in the last two decades. The Labor Department justifies that nominal salary escalation on the grounds that “agricultural employers play a vital role in our nation’s ec...
