Posts Categorized: Legislation and Politics

On Sept. 18, the UFCW responded to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) on the H-2B visa program. The report demonstrates that the H-2B system has become deeply flawed and has led to depressed wages, wage theft, and other workforce issues.

Key findings of the report include:

•           The H-2B program in its current state is undercutting U.S. wages. In the top 15 H-2B jobs, the average hourly wage paid to H-2B workers was lower than the average hourly wage for all workers in that same job.

•           In 2024, there were nearly 170,000 H-2B workers employed in the U.S. – a record high. This is more than 2.5 times the size of the original limit of 66,000 set by law.

•           Over $2.2 billion in wages were stolen from workers (which includes both U.S.-born and immigrant workers) between 2000 and 2024 in the seven major industries in which nearly all H-2B workers are employed.

•           The EPI report assesses the impact of potential changes to the H-2B program in the meatpacking industry. The industry employs about 560,000 workers, many of whom are represented by the UFCW. These workers earn a combined payroll of nearly $30 billion.

•           Granting permanent status (a green card) to H-2B workers in the meatpacking industry would raise wages for workers and grow the local economies where meatpacking plants are located by $2.6 billion.

•           The average economic boost from granting permanent status would be $85 million per state in the 23 states that account for 80 percent of all meatpacking.

“As the union representing thousands of meatpacking workers across the country, the findings in EPI’s report are alarming,” said Mark Lauritsen, the director of the UFCW’s Food Processing, Packing and Manufacturing Division, in a statement. “Expanding the use of the H-2B program in the meatpacking industry would drive down wages and working conditions in a sector that provides good, solid jobs in communities across the country, particularly in rural areas.”

“Unionized meatpacking plants offer strong wages and benefits that allow workers to take home more money for their families and spend it in their communities. These plants are the economic engine for many local economies. Turning these steady jobs into temporary ones through H-2B would be devastating for states that rely heavily on this industry, like Pennsylvania, Kansas, Minnesota, Texas, Georgia, and many more. Meatpacking jobs, and the workers, families, and communities who rely on them, should be protected and invested in, not threatened by expanding failed policies.”

The EPI report is available here.

On Sept. 12, the UFCW endorsed The Tax Cut for Striking Workers Act, introduced by U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona. This bill would ensure that the income workers receive from a strike fund is not included in their gross income and protect them from double taxation during labor disputes.

“The UFCW strongly endorses the Tax Cut for Striking Workers Act and appreciates Senator Gallego’s solidarity with striking workers,” said UFCW International President Milton Jones in a statement.

“UFCW members are essential to the economy, and although the decision to go on strike can be an incredibly difficult one to make, it can become necessary when an employer forces workers to take action for the better wages, benefits, and working conditions they deserve or to stand up against unlawful practices.”

“Strike pay helps keep workers afloat while they are taking the ultimate collective action to withhold their labor in order to make their workplaces better. And while union members contribute their own pay into strike funds, under current tax law, strike pay faces double taxation. Senator Gallego’s bill will end the double taxation of strike pay and give workers and their families peace of mind as they fight for a better life on the picket line.”