The Department of Labor is recalling 255 furloughed workers to staff more services as the government shutdown nears its second month.
The department’s new contingency plan, released Friday, said that Office of Foreign Labor Certification staff will be recalled to process prevailing wage determinations and labor certification applications.
According to the document, 200 additional workers are listed as essential to perform activities “implied by law” at the Employment and Training Administration, where the OFLC resides. An additional 55 workers in the Wage and Hour Division are noted to be compensated by a resource separate from annual appropriations.
DOL’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification will resume work processing labor certification applications, a move agricultural employers had lobbied the Trump administration to take in recent weeks.
Approval of those labor certifications is required before employers can file worker petitions with the Department of Homeland Security or have visas issued by the Department of State.
The freeze on OFLC operations put a growing strain on farmers who faced entering their peak season without access to critical labor through the H-2A seasonal visa program. The National Council of Agricultural Employers had urged the Trump administration in an Oct. 22 letter to deem processing of H-2A labor certifications an essential activity amid the shutdown, warning that further delays could make the season a total loss for many farmers.
Michael...
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Louis J. Cohen, P.C. announces a landmark whistleblower award agreement with the United States and the State of California, securing more than $4.5 million for our cli...