FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 22, 2006

Isakson Voices Disappointment
at Senate’s Failure to Address Wage Fairness for Farmers
Says Current Law Gives Farmers Disincentive to Hire Legal Workers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) today voiced his disappointment at the Senate’s refusal to adopt an amendment by U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), which would have repealed a law that encourages the hiring of illegal immigrants. The Senate tabled the Chambliss amendment by a vote of 50 yeas to 43 nays, which ended consideration of the amendment.

“The circumstances you have in the United States right now are the following: the unintended consequences of the adverse effect wage rate are that you are driving farmers to hire illegals rather than hire legals and pay them at an adverse pay wage rate,” Isakson said on the Senate floor. “The argument here is about repealing the law that has the unintended consequences of making it attractive to hire illegal aliens to work when what this bill is supposed to be doing is foster legal immigration and equitable treatment for all.”

Any employer in the agriculture community who chooses to use the H-2A program must pay all workers in the occupation in which they utilize H-2A workers the higher of the applicable minimum wage rate, the prevailing wage rate or the adverse effect wage rate. In almost every instance, the adverse effect wage rate is the highest of these options.

The Chambliss amendment would have simply required that all workers in agriculture be paid the higher of the applicable minimum wage and the prevailing wage rate, as determined by the Department of Labor.

###