In September, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a nationwide initiative to strengthen compliance in the landscape industry with the labor provisions of the H-2B temporary visa program. It was almost identical to a release issued the previous week targeting the hospitality industry.
The compliance will focus on:
- Confirming an insufficient number of U.S. employees are qualified and available to work.
- Confirming the employment of H-2B workers will not adversely affect the wages of U.S. workers.
DOL indicated that specific requirements must be met to protect American workers and investigations will be forthcoming. The release also highlighted DOL’s desire to provide compliance assistance tools and information to employers and stakeholders.
In response to the administration’s actions, NALP met with DOL officials to determine how NALP can collaborate with DOL to ensure landscape professionals have the correct information and resources to comply. NALP and DOL have agreed to work together to create tools for the landscape industry and educational opportunities with national and local DOL staff.
NALP also has heard U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services is increasing compliance and enforcement efforts by conducting random audits and visits to companies that participate in the H-2B visa program. NALP encourages all H-2B participants to review H-2B policies and maintain comprehensive records on file.
Questions? Please contact me at andrew@landscapeprofessionals.org.
