U.S. Department of Labor Proposes Higher H-2B Wages

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. October 07, 2010

October 6, 2010 - Today the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration published a proposed rule in the Federal Register which would significantly change the way wages are determined for H-2B workers.
What this means

The proposed rule would mandate that the prevailing wage for H-2B workers be based on the highest of:

1. Wages established under an agreed-upon collective bargaining agreement;
2. A wage rate established under the Davis-Bacon Act or the Service Contract Act for that occupation in the area of intended employment, or;
3. The arithmetic mean wage rate established by the Occupational Employment Statistics wage survey for that occupation in the area of intended employment.

The proposed rule would also eliminate the use of private wage surveys, as well as the current four-tier wage structure.

What you can do
You're encouraged to submit comments on this proposed rule via the federal e-rulemaking portal at www.regulations.gov. AH&LA will also be submitting comments on behalf of the industry.

Read more about the proposed rule from Federal Register here, or take a look at the Department of Labor press release.

If you have any questions, contact Shawn McBurney, senior vice president, governmental affairs, at [email protected] or (202) 289-3123.