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Register for Becker Forum, Time Is Running Out!

 

Clock face with words changing times as the hands.

The 2020 Becker Forum is titled “Farm Labor: Times of Change,” and there is a lot of change to talk about. Producers from all agricultural sectors are invited to attend Becker Forum and sharpen their management skills in these times of changing labor requirements. Time is running out, register by Monday, January 6 at $95 or pay $120 to register at the door.

Register here: http://nysvga.org/expo/information/

Download the Becker Forum Flyer.

Farm employees have the right to organize into unions for the first time starting in 2020. John Wirenius, Chairperson of the NY Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), will join us to talk about the new law and it’s implications for farm employers. PERB is the state agency assigned to supervise and administer union-management relationships in the agricultural industry. In addition, we will have a panel to discuss farm management in a union environment consisting of a grower from California, an educational professional from Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and a labor attorney.

Dramatic labor law changes went into effect for New York farm employers on January 1, 2020. Attorney Joshua Viau will update what producers need to know and manage for with regard to overtime, day of rest requirements, the wage board, and sexual harassment regulations. He will also address the meaning of the recent temporary restraining order affecting specific farm employees.

New York is not the only place where change is occurring, Craig Regelbrugge is in charge of public policy and government relations for AmericanHort in Washington DC. He will give us an update on the policy environment and dramatic ag immigration policy changes currently under consideration at the federal level.

Other topics will include:

  • H-2A Application Process Changes
  • The View from California: How Growers are Adapting to Survive Changing Labor Regulations and Labor Markets

Becker Forum is organized by the New York State Vegetable Growers Association. The event is relevant and open to producers in all agricultural sectors in New York and surrounding states.

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By Richard Stup, Cornell University. Permission granted to repost, quote, and reprint with author attribution.
The post Register for Becker Forum, Time Is Running Out! appeared first in The Ag Workforce Journal 

“Farm Focused” Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

A team of Cornell Cooperative Extension educators recently adapted New York State’s model sexual harassment prevention training materials to be more relevant to the farm workplace. NY State DOL reviewed these materials to be sure they meet the content requirements and now they are ready for release. You will find both a presentation that teaches about sexual harassment and set of case studies that illustrate it in more detail. The presentation and case studies are available in English and Spanish and in PowerPoint or video format. You can use the PowerPoints as visual aids if you choose to do the presentation and review the case studies yourself. Or, you can show the video recordings of the presentation and case studies to train your farm employees.Stop Sexual Harrassment

We developed a comprehensive farm sexual harassment prevention resource page on the Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development website. The site contains a step-by-step guide to help a farm business meet New York’s requirements for employer sexual harassment prevention policies and training. Find the new resources under Step 5.

A few reminders as you prepare for the training:

  1. Treat it seriously. You could have someone in your workforce experiencing harassment right now.
  2. Customize your policy for your farm and put it in place before you do the training.
  3. Customize the “Sexual Harassment Prevention Poster/Notice” and distribute copies to your employees at the training.
  4. Be sure that you include an interactive portion such as a question and answer session, or brief feedback survey with your employees. You can pause the videos to create opportunities for interactive questions and discussion.
  5. Document your training activities.
  6. All New York employers are required to complete the training each year with all employees. The due date for this first time is October 9, 2019!

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By Richard Stup, Cornell University. Permission granted to repost, quote, and reprint with author attribution.
The post “Farm Focused” Sexual Harassment Prevention Training appeared first on Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development

Complying with Sexual Harassment Prevention Training in New York

All New York employers are required to have a sexual harassment prevention training policy in place since October 2018 and they are required to train all employees by October 9, 2019. See details in previous article.Stop Sexual Harrassment

Cornell Cooperative Extension Educators are planning a series of meetings and webinars to help farm employers learn about the requirements and resources they can use to get into compliance. See the detailed Flyer and registration information here: Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Flyer July 2019

We have prepared new, farm-friendly training materials for farm employers to use. These materials will meet the state’s training requirements. Please join the meeting to learn more.

Richard Stup, Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development

 

5 Learning Opportunities in 2 Webinars for Farmers

NYSDOL’s Division of Immigrant Policies and Affairs (DIPA) is hosting a series of short, interactive webinars for farms. Register with DIPA to learn and ask questions about several important topics. See details below and find an event flyer at this link: 2019 Lunchtime Learning Webinars.

NYSDOL message follows…

The New York State Department of Labor’s Division of Immigrant Policies and Affairs (DIPA) is hosting FREE lunch time webinars for farmers. View and listen to a 20MINUTE PRESENTATION while submitting your questions via the chat box. Then we will take 10 minutes of questions! We will then move on to the next topic. Attend one, two or all the sessions!

ON JUNE 4, 2019, WE WILL DISCUSS THESE TOPICS:
11:30-12:00: Why Does DIPA Visit My Farm Every Year?
12:00-12:30: What do I need to Know about the New Sexual Harassment Training Requirements?

ON JUNE 6, 2019, WE WILL DISCUSS THESE H2A PROGRAM TOPICS:
11:30-12:00: H-2A Program + NYS Labor Law Compliance = Successful H-2A Application?
12:00-12:30: H-2A Housing Inspections: What do I need to Know?
12:30-1:00: I Received a “Referral of Domestic Applicant,” What Do I Do Now?
Please E-mail dipa@labor.ny.gov to register for these important sessions.
For questions, call Caylin Gwise at 585-258-8855.