CRLA Foundation Condemns $2.46 Billion in Trump Wage Cuts and Expansion of H-2A Program to Non-Ag. Jobs

New Rule to Affect Over 400,000 Farmworkers, Reducing Pay by Up to One-Third

The California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CRLA Foundation) joins the United Farm Workers (UFW) and UFW Foundation in condemning the Trump Administration’s newly announced rule slashing wages for hundreds of thousands of farmworkers nationwide. The regulation, issued without public comment on October 2, will cut farmworker pay by as much as $5 to $7 per hour and shift $2.46 billion in annual wages from workers to large agricultural employers.

Under the new rule, California farmworkers stand to lose $6.52 an hour—a devastating blow that could reduce effective pay below the state minimum wage when a $3.52 wage deduction and $3.00 housing deductions are applied. The rule also expands the H-2A guest-worker program to non-fieldwork jobs, further displacing domestic workers and lowering wages for skilled positions like tractor drivers, mechanics, and construction workers.

CRLA Foundation has long fought to protect farmworkers from exploitation and unlawful labor practices. The organization warns that the rule not only undermines the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR)—a safeguard designed to prevent wage suppression—but also deepens the precarity of immigrant and migrant workers who already face barriers to legal protection and fair pay.

CRLA Foundation stands united with UFW, UFW Foundation, and allied organizations nationwide in urging the Department of Labor to withdraw this harmful rule. The statewide non-profit organization will continue to defend farmworkers’ rights through advocacy, education, and legal action to ensure every worker—regardless of status—receives fair pay for their labor.

*This does not change current regulations, which require that the worker still be paid the highest of the state minimum wage, AEWR, prevailing wage, or collective bargaining wage.