A U.S. Department of Labor program that holds violators accountable for violating workers’ rights has made substantial headway in the Southeast.
The program has helped ensure Southeast firms adhere to federal regulations surrounding the employment of temporary nonimmigrant employees with H-2B visitor visas, according to an Aug. 24 Department of Labor news release.
“The H-2B visa program includes specific requirements employers must follow to participate. Our ongoing initiative will ensure the rights of all workers – both U.S. and visa workers – in the Southeast are protected, and make employers answer for their violations of the law,” Atlanta Wage and Hour District Director Juan Coria said in the release.
The Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor in the Southeast has recovered more than $1 million in back pay that was withheld from almost 1,000 workers between October 2019 and March 2022. The division also debarred four firms and labor contractors for violating the H-2B visa program and issued civil money penalties totaling more than $650,000 against them, the release reported.
The H-2B visa program was established to enable American firms to import foreign employees into the country to carry out short-term, seasonal, peak-load or intermittent non-agricultural labor or services to meet the demands of the market, according to the release.
