17 States, Farmers Sue to Block Federal Rule Allowing Foreign Workers to Unionize

A coalition of 17 states is suing to keep the U.S. Department of Labor from granting foreign farm workers certain labor rights, which they say even many American workers don’t enjoy. At the center of the lawsuit, filed June 10 at the U.S. Southern District Court of Georgia, is a proposed rule aimed at offering many protections for agricultural workers employed in the H-2A temporary worker visa program. The H-2A visa program allows employers to bring foreign workers into the United States to fill temporary agricultural jobs for up to 10 months. It is designed to help farmers find enough working hands when there is a lack of qualified and available American citizens or resident workers....