Legislation update - January 2007

Thursday, 04 January 2007

H2-B roadblock. Tree planters sued their employer, Eller and Sons Trees of LaGrange, Ga., for back wages and reimbursement of out-of-pocket costs because they say they were not paid overtime and often were required to pay for their own tools, visas and travel costs. A federal judge classified the case as a class-action lawsuit, so it now involves about 6,000 tree planters. It is drawing national attention as one of several legal challenges to the H2-B visa program, which admits 66,000 foreigners into the country each year to do temporary manual labor.

Methyl bromide reprieve. The Bush administration won international approval for U.S. growers to use thousands of tons of methyl bromide, a fumigant sometimes used in propagation beds between crops. The fumigant was banned under an international treaty two years ago, except for uses deemed critical. At an international meeting in New Delhi, treaty partners approved use of just over 5,900 tons for those needs in 2008, said a spokesman for the Montreal Protocol, which works to phase out substances that deplete the ozone layer.

Globalized chemical identification. U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is working with other agencies to develop a Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). The system is aimed at having the entire world on the same page chemically. GHS includes synchronized provisions for classification of chemicals for health, physical and environmental effects, as well as for labels on containers and safety data sheets. GHS already has been adopted by the United Nations, which has an international goal for as many countries as possible to implement GHS by 2008.

Border barrier. President Bush signed the Secure Fence Act (H.R. 6061) into law, authorizing the construction of 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as advanced border enforcement. The fence’s future is uncertain in the Democrat-controlled Congress.