Labor Certification Process for the Temporary Employment of Aliens in Agriculture in the United States: 2021 Adverse Effect Wage Rates for Non-Range Occupations, 10996-10997 [2021-03752]

Download as PDF 10996 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 34 / Tuesday, February 23, 2021 / Notices In accordance with §§ 201.16(c) and 207.3 of the Commission’s rules, each document filed by a party to the investigation must be served on all other parties to the investigation (as identified by either the public or BPI service list), and a certificate of service must be timely filed. The Secretary will not accept a document for filing without a certificate of service. Authority: This investigation is being conducted under authority of title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930; this notice is published pursuant to § 207.21 of the Commission’s rules. By order of the Commission. Issued: February 18, 2021. Lisa Barton, Secretary to the Commission. [FR Doc. 2021–03678 Filed 2–22–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7020–02–P DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration Labor Certification Process for the Temporary Employment of Aliens in Agriculture in the United States: 2021 Adverse Effect Wage Rates for NonRange Occupations Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:36 Feb 22, 2021 Jkt 253001 Brian Pasternak, Administrator, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room N–5311, Washington, DC 20210, telephone: (202) 693–8200 (this is not a toll-free number). Individuals with hearing or speech impairments may access the telephone numbers above via TTY/TDD by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service at 1 (877) 889–5627. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security will not approve an employer’s petition for the admission of H–2A nonimmigrant temporary and seasonal agricultural workers in the United States unless the petitioner has received an H–2A labor certification from the Department. The labor certification provides that: (1) There are not sufficient U.S. workers who are able, willing, and qualified and who will be available at the time and place needed to perform the labor or services involved in the petition; and (2) the employment of the foreign worker(s) in such labor or services will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of workers in the United States similarly employed. 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a), 1184(c)(1), and 1188(a); 8 CFR 214.2(h)(5); 20 CFR 655.100. Adverse Effect Wage Rates for 2021 The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (Department) is issuing this notice to announce the 2021 Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) for the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (H–2A workers) to perform agricultural labor or services other than the herding or production of livestock on the range. AEWRs are the minimum wage rates the Department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to H–2A workers and workers in corresponding employment for a particular occupation and area so that the wages and working conditions of similarly employed workers in the United States will not be adversely affected. In this notice, the Department announces updates of the AEWRs, which are effective immediately pursuant to a recent federal court order. Supplemental Order Regarding Preliminary Injunctive Relief, United Farm Workers, et al. v. U.S. Dep’t of Labor, et al., No. 20–cv–1690 (E.D. Cal. Jan. 12, 2021), ECF No. 39. DATES: These rates are applicable February 23, 2021. SUMMARY: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Department’s H–2A regulations at 20 CFR 655.122(l) provide that employers must pay their H–2A workers and workers in corresponding employment at least the highest of: (i) The AEWR; (ii) the prevailing hourly wage rate; (iii) the prevailing piece rate; (iv) the agreed-upon collective bargaining wage rate; or (v) the federal or state minimum wage rate in effect at the time the work is performed. Further, when the AEWR is adjusted during a work contract and is higher than the highest of the previous AEWR, the prevailing rate, the agreed-upon collective bargaining wage, the Federal minimum wage rate, or the state minimum wage rate, the employer must pay that adjusted AEWR upon the effective date of the new rate, as provided in the applicable Federal Register Notice. See 20 CFR 655.122(l) (requiring the applicable AEWR or other wage rate to be paid based on the AEWR or rate in effect ‘‘at the time work is performed’’). On November 5, 2020, the Department published a final rule, Adverse Effect Wage Rate Methodology for the PO 00000 Frm 00078 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Temporary Employment of H–2A Nonimmigrants in Non-Range Occupations in the United States, 85 FR 70445 (2020 AEWR final rule), to establish a new methodology for setting hourly AEWRs, effective December 21, 2020. On December 23, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California issued an order enjoining the Department from implementing the 2020 AEWR final rule and ordering the Department to operate under the 2010 rule, Temporary Agricultural Employment of H–2A Aliens in the United States, 75 FR 6884 (Feb. 12, 2010). Order Granting Plaintiffs’ Motion for a Preliminary Injunction, United Farm Workers, et al. v. U.S. Dep’t of Labor, et al., No. 20–cv–1690 (E.D. Cal.), ECF No. 37. On January 12, 2021, the district court issued a supplemental order requiring the Department to publish the AEWRs for 2021 in the Federal Register on or before February 25, 2021, using the methodology set forth in the 2010 rule, and to make those AEWRs effective upon their publication. Supplemental Order Regarding Preliminary Injunctive Relief, United Farm Workers, et al. v. U.S. Dep’t of Labor, et al., No. 20–cv–1690 (E.D. Cal.), ECF No. 39. Pursuant to the district court’s supplemental order, the Department notified state workforce agencies (SWAs), employers, and the general public that the AEWRs in effect on December 20, 2020, remained in effect during the interim period until the Department published this update of the AEWRs for 2021 in the Federal Register. See, e.g., Announcements, OFLC Announces Updates to Implementation of the H–2A Adverse Effect Wage Rate Methodology for NonRange Occupations Final Rule; Compliance with District Court Order (Jan. 15, 2021), available at https:// www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/ news. As reflected in the Department’s announcement on the OFLC website at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/ foreign-labor/news, the district court’s supplemental order also reserved decision on whether an award of backpay to affected H–2A workers may be warranted based on the difference, if any, between the applicable 2020 AEWRs and the 2021 AEWRs announced in this notice. Accordingly, the 2021 AEWRs for all agricultural employment (except for the herding or production of livestock on the range, which is covered by 20 CFR 655.200–235) for which temporary H– 2A certification is being sought is equal to the annual weighted average hourly wage rate for field and livestock workers (combined) in the state or region as E:\FR\FM\23FEN1.SGM 23FEN1 10997 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 34 / Tuesday, February 23, 2021 / Notices published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the 2020 Farm Labor Report on February 11, 2021. The 2021 AEWRs to be paid for agricultural work performed by H–2A and U.S. workers on and after the effective date of this notice are set forth in the table below: TABLE—2021 ADVERSE EFFECT WAGE RATES State Alabama .................................... Arizona ...................................... Arkansas ................................... California ................................... Colorado ................................... Connecticut ............................... Delaware ................................... Florida ....................................... Georgia ..................................... Hawaii ....................................... Idaho ......................................... Illinois ........................................ Indiana ...................................... Iowa .......................................... Kansas ...................................... Kentucky ................................... Louisiana .................................. Maine ........................................ Maryland ................................... Massachusetts .......................... Michigan ................................... Minnesota ................................. Mississippi ................................ Missouri .................................... Montana .................................... Nebraska .................................. Nevada ..................................... New Hampshire ........................ New Jersey ............................... New Mexico .............................. New York .................................. North Carolina .......................... North Dakota ............................ Ohio .......................................... Oklahoma ................................. Oregon ...................................... Pennsylvania ............................ 2021 AEWRs $11.81 13.67 11.88 16.05 14.82 14.99 14.05 12.08 11.81 15.56 14.55 15.31 15.31 15.37 15.89 12.96 11.88 14.99 14.05 14.99 14.72 14.72 11.88 15.37 14.55 15.89 14.82 14.99 14.05 13.67 14.99 13.15 15.89 15.31 13.03 16.34 14.05 TABLE—2021 ADVERSE EFFECT WAGE and Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form outlined in this notice. OSHA RATES—Continued State Rhode Island ............................ South Carolina .......................... South Dakota ............................ Tennessee ................................ Texas ........................................ Utah .......................................... Vermont .................................... Virginia ...................................... Washington ............................... West Virginia ............................ Wisconsin ................................. Wyoming ................................... [FR Doc. 2021–03752 Filed 2–19–21; 4:15 pm] BILLING CODE 4510–FP–P DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Occupational Safety and Health Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Numbers Under the Paperwork Reduction Act Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor. ACTION: Notice; announcement of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) approval of information collection requirements. AGENCY: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announces that OMB extended approval for information collection requirements found in OSHA’s standards and its regulations on the Student Data Form SUMMARY: 4,4’-Methylenedianiline for General Industry (29 CFR 1910.1050). Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records (29 CFR 1910.1020). Aerial Lifts Standard (29 CFR 1926.453) ..................... Asbestos in General Industry Standard (29 CFR 1910.1001). Asbestos in Shipyards Standard (29 CFR 1915.1001) Benzene (29 CFR 1910.1028) ..................................... Cadmium in Construction Standard (29 CFR 1926.1127). Construction Fall Protection Systems Criteria, Practices, and Training Requirements. Jkt 253001 PO 00000 sought approval of these requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), and, as required by that Act, is announcing the approval numbers and expiration dates for these requirements and regulations. DATES: Applicable February 23, 2021. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Seleda Perryman or Theda Kenney, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, telephone (202) 693–2222. In a series of Federal Register notices, the agency provided 60-day comment periods for the public to respond to OSHA’s burden hour and cost estimates. The various information collection (paperwork) requirements in the safety and health standards pertain to general industry, construction, shipyards and maritime (i.e., 29 CFR parts 1910, 1915, and 1926), and its regulations on the OSHA Student Data Form and OSHA’s Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form. In accordance with the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501–3520), OMB approved these information collection requirements. The table provides the following information for each of these requirements approved by OMB: The title of the Federal Register notice; the Federal Register citation (date, volume, and leading page); OSHA docket number; OMB’s Control Number; and the new expiration date. In accordance with 5 CFR 1320.5(b), an agency cannot conduct, sponsor, or require a response to a collection of information unless the collection displays a valid OMB control number and the agency informs respondents that they need not respond to the collection of information. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Date of Federal Register publication, Federal Register citation, and OSHA Docket No. 1,3-Butadiene Standard (29 CFR 1910.1051) ............. 18:36 Feb 22, 2021 14.99 11.81 15.89 12.96 13.03 14.82 14.99 13.15 16.34 12.96 14.72 14.55 Dated: February 18, 2021. Milton A. Stewart, Acting Secretary of Labor. Title of the information collection request VerDate Sep<11>2014 2021 AEWRs December 27, 2019, OSHA–2012–0027. November 12, 2019, OSHA–2012–0040. February 2, 2020, 85 2009–0043. February 26, 2020, 85 2009–0045. February 6, 2020, 85 2010–0018. November 29, 2019, OSHA–2012–0009. November 29, 2019, OSHA–2013–0008. November 29, 2019, OSHA–2012–0004. February 26, 2020, 85 2010–0008. Frm 00079 Fmt 4703 OMB control No. Expiration date 84 FR 71477, Docket No. 1218–0170 07/31/2023 84 FR 61077, Docket No. 1218–0184 07/31/3023 FR 6580, Docket No. OSHA– 1218–0065 10/31/2023 FR 11110, Docket No. OSHA– 1218–0216 10/31/2023 FR 6979, Docket No. OSHA– 1218–0133 07/31/2023 84 FR 65849, Docket No. 1218–0195 07/31/2023 84 FR 65848, Docket No. 1218–0129 07/31/2023 84 FR 65844, Docket No. 1218–0186 06/30/2023 FR 11118, Docket No. OSHA– 1218–0197 10/31/2023 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\23FEN1.SGM 23FEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 23, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10996-10997]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03752]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Labor Certification Process for the Temporary Employment of 
Aliens in Agriculture in the United States: 2021 Adverse Effect Wage 
Rates for Non-Range Occupations

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the 
Department of Labor (Department) is issuing this notice to announce the 
2021 Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) for the employment of temporary 
or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (H-2A workers) to perform 
agricultural labor or services other than the herding or production of 
livestock on the range. AEWRs are the minimum wage rates the Department 
has determined must be offered and paid by employers to H-2A workers 
and workers in corresponding employment for a particular occupation and 
area so that the wages and working conditions of similarly employed 
workers in the United States will not be adversely affected. In this 
notice, the Department announces updates of the AEWRs, which are 
effective immediately pursuant to a recent federal court order. 
Supplemental Order Regarding Preliminary Injunctive Relief, United Farm 
Workers, et al. v. U.S. Dep't of Labor, et al., No. 20-cv-1690 (E.D. 
Cal. Jan. 12, 2021), ECF No. 39.

DATES: These rates are applicable February 23, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Pasternak, Administrator, Office 
of Foreign Labor Certification, Employment and Training Administration, 
U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room N-5311, 
Washington, DC 20210, telephone: (202) 693-8200 (this is not a toll-
free number). Individuals with hearing or speech impairments may access 
the telephone numbers above via TTY/TDD by calling the toll-free 
Federal Information Relay Service at 1 (877) 889-5627.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 
Services of the Department of Homeland Security will not approve an 
employer's petition for the admission of H-2A nonimmigrant temporary 
and seasonal agricultural workers in the United States unless the 
petitioner has received an H-2A labor certification from the 
Department. The labor certification provides that: (1) There are not 
sufficient U.S. workers who are able, willing, and qualified and who 
will be available at the time and place needed to perform the labor or 
services involved in the petition; and (2) the employment of the 
foreign worker(s) in such labor or services will not adversely affect 
the wages and working conditions of workers in the United States 
similarly employed. 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a), 1184(c)(1), and 
1188(a); 8 CFR 214.2(h)(5); 20 CFR 655.100.

Adverse Effect Wage Rates for 2021

    The Department's H-2A regulations at 20 CFR 655.122(l) provide that 
employers must pay their H-2A workers and workers in corresponding 
employment at least the highest of: (i) The AEWR; (ii) the prevailing 
hourly wage rate; (iii) the prevailing piece rate; (iv) the agreed-upon 
collective bargaining wage rate; or (v) the federal or state minimum 
wage rate in effect at the time the work is performed. Further, when 
the AEWR is adjusted during a work contract and is higher than the 
highest of the previous AEWR, the prevailing rate, the agreed-upon 
collective bargaining wage, the Federal minimum wage rate, or the state 
minimum wage rate, the employer must pay that adjusted AEWR upon the 
effective date of the new rate, as provided in the applicable Federal 
Register Notice. See 20 CFR 655.122(l) (requiring the applicable AEWR 
or other wage rate to be paid based on the AEWR or rate in effect ``at 
the time work is performed'').
    On November 5, 2020, the Department published a final rule, Adverse 
Effect Wage Rate Methodology for the Temporary Employment of H-2A 
Nonimmigrants in Non-Range Occupations in the United States, 85 FR 
70445 (2020 AEWR final rule), to establish a new methodology for 
setting hourly AEWRs, effective December 21, 2020. On December 23, 
2020, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California 
issued an order enjoining the Department from implementing the 2020 
AEWR final rule and ordering the Department to operate under the 2010 
rule, Temporary Agricultural Employment of H-2A Aliens in the United 
States, 75 FR 6884 (Feb. 12, 2010). Order Granting Plaintiffs' Motion 
for a Preliminary Injunction, United Farm Workers, et al. v. U.S. Dep't 
of Labor, et al., No. 20-cv-1690 (E.D. Cal.), ECF No. 37. On January 
12, 2021, the district court issued a supplemental order requiring the 
Department to publish the AEWRs for 2021 in the Federal Register on or 
before February 25, 2021, using the methodology set forth in the 2010 
rule, and to make those AEWRs effective upon their publication. 
Supplemental Order Regarding Preliminary Injunctive Relief, United Farm 
Workers, et al. v. U.S. Dep't of Labor, et al., No. 20-cv-1690 (E.D. 
Cal.), ECF No. 39. Pursuant to the district court's supplemental order, 
the Department notified state workforce agencies (SWAs), employers, and 
the general public that the AEWRs in effect on December 20, 2020, 
remained in effect during the interim period until the Department 
published this update of the AEWRs for 2021 in the Federal Register. 
See, e.g., Announcements, OFLC Announces Updates to Implementation of 
the H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Rate Methodology for Non-Range Occupations 
Final Rule; Compliance with District Court Order (Jan. 15, 2021), 
available at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/news. As 
reflected in the Department's announcement on the OFLC website at 
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/news, the district 
court's supplemental order also reserved decision on whether an award 
of backpay to affected H-2A workers may be warranted based on the 
difference, if any, between the applicable 2020 AEWRs and the 2021 
AEWRs announced in this notice.
    Accordingly, the 2021 AEWRs for all agricultural employment (except 
for the herding or production of livestock on the range, which is 
covered by 20 CFR 655.200-235) for which temporary H-2A certification 
is being sought is equal to the annual weighted average hourly wage 
rate for field and livestock workers (combined) in the state or region 
as

[[Page 10997]]

published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the 2020 Farm 
Labor Report on February 11, 2021.
    The 2021 AEWRs to be paid for agricultural work performed by H-2A 
and U.S. workers on and after the effective date of this notice are set 
forth in the table below:

                  Table--2021 Adverse Effect Wage Rates
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           State                              2021 AEWRs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama....................................................       $11.81
Arizona....................................................        13.67
Arkansas...................................................        11.88
California.................................................        16.05
Colorado...................................................        14.82
Connecticut................................................        14.99
Delaware...................................................        14.05
Florida....................................................        12.08
Georgia....................................................        11.81
Hawaii.....................................................        15.56
Idaho......................................................        14.55
Illinois...................................................        15.31
Indiana....................................................        15.31
Iowa.......................................................        15.37
Kansas.....................................................        15.89
Kentucky...................................................        12.96
Louisiana..................................................        11.88
Maine......................................................        14.99
Maryland...................................................        14.05
Massachusetts..............................................        14.99
Michigan...................................................        14.72
Minnesota..................................................        14.72
Mississippi................................................        11.88
Missouri...................................................        15.37
Montana....................................................        14.55
Nebraska...................................................        15.89
Nevada.....................................................        14.82
New Hampshire..............................................        14.99
New Jersey.................................................        14.05
New Mexico.................................................        13.67
New York...................................................        14.99
North Carolina.............................................        13.15
North Dakota...............................................        15.89
Ohio.......................................................        15.31
Oklahoma...................................................        13.03
Oregon.....................................................        16.34
Pennsylvania...............................................        14.05
Rhode Island...............................................        14.99
South Carolina.............................................        11.81
South Dakota...............................................        15.89
Tennessee..................................................        12.96
Texas......................................................        13.03
Utah.......................................................        14.82
Vermont....................................................        14.99
Virginia...................................................        13.15
Washington.................................................        16.34
West Virginia..............................................        12.96
Wisconsin..................................................        14.72
Wyoming....................................................        14.55
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: February 18, 2021.
Milton A. Stewart,
Acting Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2021-03752 Filed 2-19-21; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4510-FP-P

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