2014 Modification to LWC Office of Workforce Development, Agricultural Outreach Plan

Transcription

1 1001 North 23 rd Street Post Office Box Baton Rouge, LA (O) (F) Bobby Jindal, Governor Curt Eysink, Executive Director Office of Workforce Development 2014 Modification to LWC Office of Workforce Development, Agricultural Outreach Plan Enclosed for public review and comment is the modification of the Office of Workforce Development Agricultural Outreach Plan to Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers for 2014, to be incorporated into the LWC State Plan For the Period of July 1, 2012, through June 30, Please submit any comments or questions by close of business May 9, 2014 to Merrill Hess, of OWD Foreign Labor Programs, at or fax (225) Equal Opportunity Employer/Program Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities TDD#

2 A. Wagner-Peyser Agricultural Outreach Plan (MSFW) (Modified March 24, 2014) The Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) will continue to comply with the requirements of 20 CFR 653, Subpart B, Service to Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFW). To accomplish the task of providing information and services to MSFWs, LWC will continue to offer a full range of employment services, benefits and protections, including the full range of counseling, testing, and job and training referral services as are provided to non-msfws. Although Louisiana is not designated as a significant* MSFW state, we strive to make sufficient penetration into the farm workers community so that the largest possible number of MSFWs are made aware of those services available to them through our statewide network of Business and Career Solutions Centers (BCSCs). * A significant state is one that has the highest number of Migrant Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFW) applicants that utilize services available under the Wagner-Peyser Act and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) designates annually the top twenty states with the highest MSFW activity based on data received from state and local offices. Source: United States Department of Labor (USDOL), Employment and Training Administration, Assessment of Needs In 2013, Louisiana agricultural production contributed $11.8 billion to the State s economy. The following quotation provides a summary of 2013 production levels. While the 2013 production year proved to be one of the best on record, the same cannot be said for the market situation for many of these commodities. After experiencing several years of historically high prices, record production in 2013 for the feed grain and soybean markets helped to push prices lower over the last half of Likewise, after experiencing significant declines in 2012, sugar prices continued to soften in 2013 as strong production continued pressure on the supply-and-demand balance. For other commodities like rice and cotton, however, slightly improved supply-and-demand fundamentals helped prices move marginally higher in Also, a slightly improving economy and tight supply levels helped to maintain and improve the price situation for much of the livestock sector. Despite any difficulty producers may have experienced individually in 2013, producers collectively enjoyed record or nearly record yields and historically strong prices for many of the state s agricultural commodities for the second year in a row. This resulted in total gross farmgate value for the agricultural industry of $6.9 billion in 2013, an increase of 4 percent from the previous year. Plant enterprises experienced increases in gross farm-gate values, moving from $4.1 billion in 2012 to $4.2 billion in 2013, a 1 percent increase, due to strong returns from record yields for rice, feed grains and soybeans in Source: LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Ag Summary,

3 As indicated below, in 2013, agricultural employers placed job orders with LWC relative to the following selected crops. Crop Acres/Producers/Farms Dollars Sugarcane 439,256 acres/479 producers $771,000,000 Soybeans 1,101,036 acres/2,394 producers 909,000,000 Rice 410,902 acres/1023 producers 659,000,000 Crawfish 182,387 acres/1,265 producers 137,473,176 Plant Nurseries 728 producers 99,899,850 Strawberries 361 acres/80 producers 12,436,248 Source: LSU AgCenter, Totals/2013StateTotals.pdf Sugarcane: Raw sugar comprised 1,609,144 tons of production and molasses comprised 96,556,002 gallons. Soybeans: 1,120,527 acres of Louisiana lands were farmed, producing 53,835,842 bushels of soybeans. Strawberries: Although strawberries can be grown in all parts of the state, Tangipahoa and Livingston parishes have been the traditional commercial production areas. Marketable strawberry production totaled 762,025 flats. A high input of capital as well as effort is required to establish a successful strawberry planting. Two (2) workers per acre are usually required during field preparation, planting, laying plastic, and irrigation. Three (3) to four (4) workers per acre are usually needed for harvesting berries. Plant Nurseries: Various types of plant nurseries operate within Louisiana, including foliage plants, woody ornamentals, fruit and nut trees, and floriculture and bedding plants. Although commercial nurseries are distributed throughout the state, most large nurseries are concentrated in Rapides (particularly Forest Hill), Tangipahoa, and St. Tammany Parishes. Also, numerous citrus orchards in Jefferson and Plaquemines Parishes sell citrus trees in addition to harvesting fruit. Rice: Farmers utilized 410,902 acres to produce 1,554,765 tons of rice. Many rice farmers combine or alternate rice crops with crawfish production. Crawfish: Southern Louisiana produces more than 90 percent of the total crawfish production in the southern U.S. In 2013, Louisiana produced over 50,966 tons of farm-raised freshwater crawfish. The total southern crop area was 182,387 acres, much of it combined or alternated with rice production. Crawfish may be harvested from November through late spring or early summer. Sweet Potatoes: The 2013 sweet potato crop suffered weather related setbacks. The harvest season began several weeks late and potatoes were disappointedly small. The average yield for 2013 was 1,221 pounds of sweet potatoes per acre, from a record low of 7,300 acres fewer acres than However, the total value of the sweet potato crop increased 8% from $80,000,000 to $86,000,000

4 During 2013, agricultural employers placed 512 job orders, requesting a total of 6,588 temporary or seasonal workers. Almost all of these were H-2A Temporary Foreign Laborer Agricultural job orders. Although this indicates the level of demand for agricultural workers within the state, it also suggests an opportunity for greater coordination of MSFW stakeholders in placing workers into these jobs. It is estimated that, in Louisiana, there are currently 1,500 MSFWs in the following agricultural industries. 50 Sugarcane 100 Strawberry 80 Crawfish and soybean 250 Nursery 220 Animal farms and other crops 1,000 Non-migrant seasonal farmworker During 2013, LWC contacted 183 MSFWs, of which 28 were referred to jobs. During 2014, LWC intends to increase the number of MSFWs by five percent as staff is better trained to increase their outreach to MSFWs and to recognize MSFWs who enter the Business and Career Solutions network and register in HIRE. LWC anticipates that at least 55 staff days may be required to provide the qualitatively equivalent and quantitatively proportionate level of services to MSFW, compared to non-msfws. Services provided to Employers and MSFWs through the One-Stop System The Monitor Advocate will promote and encourage the provision and coordination of MSFW services to the Business and Career Solutions Centers with Motivation Education & Training Inc. (MET Inc.) (the state WIA Section 167, National Farmworker Jobs Program [NFJP] grantee), state and local agricultural agencies, farm organizations, and other agricultural stakeholders. These organizations will include: Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter, Louisiana Farm Bureau, American Sugar Cane League, the Louisiana Alligator Advisory Council, the Louisiana Crawfish Farmers Association, Latino Farmers Cooperative of Louisiana, Inc. Louisiana Department of Education Migrant Education, University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) Continuing Education/Delta Community College DeltaLinc, Louisiana Primary Care Association, Inc., USDOL Wage and Hour Division, USDOL Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,

5 Various legal aid organizations, Various migration and refugee centers, Other organizations. The Monitor Advocate will continue to coordinate with the LWC Occupational Safety and Health Administration Consultation (OSHA Consultation) section to provide outreach and safety information and training to agricultural employers and employees. Some of the training may be provided either on the job site or in the local area. Safety information and resources will be provided to partners and organizations to hand out to their agricultural clients. LWC will continue to disseminate safety and employment related information through the agricultural network. Services provided to agricultural employers and MSFWs through the BCSCs Efforts by LWC to promote and facilitate the provision of services to MSFWs, and increase the number of MSFWs in labor exchange activities, will be conducted through the BCSCs. Locally, the centers will coordinate the services of One-Stop partners, community based organizations, the state MSFW contacts, MSFW groups, state cooperative extension service, and parish (county) agents, and other agencies and organizations listed above to do the following: 1. Give local presentations on BCSC services, including the LWC Growing Green job and career portal, accessible online and through smartphones, 2. Set up and utilize an integrated referral system to provide maximum services to MSFWs, 3. Encourage employers to utilize the Agricultural Recruiting System (ARS), 4. Provide required employer posters and other handouts in the English language and in Spanish, 5. Meet on a regular basis to exchange information, discuss problems, and coordinate efforts, 6. Offer to distribute their information pamphlets during outreach contacts and provide materials for them to distribute to MSFWs, 7. Offer services that are relative to their needs, and 8. Advise them of all employment changes affecting their community. LWC has partnered with Motivation, Education and Training (MET) to assist Louisiana in providing increased services to MSFWs and farm worker employers. One MET, Inc. office is co-located in a BCSC. Two MET office managers are WIB members. The Monitor Advocate will work with LWC administrative and local office staff on issues of concern (compliance with equity indicators, reviving local interest, proper documentation of services, etc.) This technical assistance is provided to all BCSC staff as needed. The Monitor Advocate will provide training and follow-up on the outreach and provision of services to MSFWs to BCSC staff throughout the state. The staff will be encouraged to query clients to better identify MSFWs and record them in the HIRE system. Staff will provide the full array of BCSC services, including the labor exchange system, of which the ARS is a part. The labor exchange system provides job openings in both agricultural and non-agricultural employment. Other services, such as training or supportive services, provide a pathway for MSFWs to transition to higher wage jobs & permanent year round employment in non-agricultural work.

6 All complaints from MSFWs alleging violations of employment-related standards and laws shall be taken in writing by the BCSC staff. The local staff will attempt a timely resolution, if possible. In the event the local staffs are not able to resolve the complaint, the complainant will be referred, as appropriate, to the USDOL Wage & Hour Division or other agencies and organizations that may play a role in resolving complaints. The complaint records will be reported quarterly to the LWC Office of Equal Opportunity and made available to the State Monitor Advocate.