Ithaca, NY, November 9, 2018
Farm worker housing, labor law compliance, and the federal guest worker program (H-2A) are key themes for the 2019 Becker Forum. The event will take place on Monday, January 14 at the Holiday Inn in Liverpool, New York. Employer compliance with new sexual harassment prevention laws will also be a prominent topic.
Featured speaker Lynn Jacquez, from the CJ Lake law firm in Washington, DC will address what policy positions to expect from the new Congress and the Administration in the year ahead. She will also address immigration enforcement trends and worksite issues that are important for farm employers.
Three presentations will focus on farm-provided employee housing. Nancy Hagopian from the NYS Department of Health will provide recommendations for improving existing housing. Ed Urbanick from Farm Credit East will discuss financing for construction and renovation of housing. A featured farm employer panel will discuss best practices for managing worker housing.
The forum will also provide information related to the H-2A guest worker program, including how some dairy farms are successfully using it to access workers. Current changes in the H-2A program will be reviewed and information will be provided on how to effectively hire foreign-born workers through the program.
Attorney Michael Sciotti from the Barclay Damon Law Firm in Syracuse will inform farm employers about what they must do to comply with New York’s new regulations on sexual harassment prevention policies and training.
At the end of the afternoon there will be an opportunity for questions and discussion regarding critical workforce issues. For a complete agenda and to register go to http://nysvga.org/expo/information/, or email nysvegetablegrowers@gmail.com.
For more details about the program contact:
Richard Stup, Ph.D., Agricultural Workforce Specialist, Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, (607) 255-7890, rstup@cornell.edu.
