20 C.F.R. § 655.110 Employer penalties for noncompliance with terms and conditions of temporary alien agricultural labor certifications.
Title 20 - Employees' Benefits
(a) Investigation of violations. If, during the period of two years after a temporary alien agricultural labor certification has been granted (in whole or in part), the OFLC Administrator has reason to believe that an employer violated a material term or condition of the temporary alien agricultural labor certification, the OFLC Administrator shall, except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, investigate the matter. If, after the investigation, the OFLC Administrator determines that a substantial violation has occurred, the OFLC Administrator, shall notify the employer that a temporary alien agricultural certification request will not be granted for the next period of time in a calendar year during which the employer would normally be expected to request a temporary alien agricultural labor certification, and any application subsequently submitted by the employer for that time period will not be accepted by the OFLC Administrator. If multiple or repeated substantial violations are involved, the OFLC Administrator's notice to the employer shall specify that the prospective denial of the temporary alien agricultural labor certification will apply not only to the next anticipated period for which a temporary alien agricultural labor certification would normally be requested, but also to any periods within the coming two or three years; two years for two violations, or repetitions of the same violations, and three years for three or more violations, or repetitions thereof. The OFLC Administrator's notice shall be in writing, shall state the reasons for the determinations, and shall offer the employer an opportunity to request an expedited administrative review or a de novo hearing before an administrative law judge of the determination within seven calendar days of the date of the notice. If the employer requests an expedited administrative review or a de novo hearing before an administrative law judge, the procedures in §655.112 of this part shall be followed. (b) Employment Standards Administration investigations. The OFLC Administrator may make the determination described in paragraph (a) of this section based on information and recommendations provided by the Employment Standards Administration, after an Employment Standards Administration investigation has been conducted in accordance with the Employment Standards Administration procedures, that an employer has not complied with the terms and conditions of employment prescribed as a condition for a temporary alien agricultural labor certification. In such instances, the OFLC Administrator need not conduct any investigation of his/her own, and the subsequent notification to the employer and other procedures contained in paragraph (a) of this section will apply. Penalties invoked by the Employment Standards Administration for violations of temporary alien agricultural labor certification terms and conditions shall be treated and handled separately from sanctions available to the OFLC Administrator, and an employer's obligations for compliance with the Employment Standards Administration's enforcement penalties shall not absolve an employer from sanctions applied by ETA under this section (except as noted in paragraph (a) of this section). (c) Less than substantial violations—(1) Requirement of special procedures. If, after investigation as provided for under paragraph (a) of this section, or an Employment Standards Administration notification as provided under paragraph (b) of this section, the OFLC Administrator determines that a less than substantial violation has occurred, but the OFLC Administrator has reason to believe that past actions on the part of the employer may have had and may continue to have a chilling or otherwise negative effect on the recruitment, employment, and retention of U.S. workers, the OFLC Administrator may require the employer to conform to special procedures before and after the temporary alien labor certification determination (including special on-site positive recruitment and streamlined interviewing and referral techniques) designed to enhance U.S. worker recruitment and retention in the next year as a condition for receiving a temporary alien agricultural labor certification. Such requirements shall be reasonable, and shall not require the employer to offer better wages, working conditions and benefits than those specified in §655.102 of this part, and shall be no more than deemed necessary to assure employer compliance with the test of U.S. worker availability and adverse effect criteria of this subpart. The OFLC Administrator shall notify the employer in writing of the special procedures which will be required in the coming year. The notification shall state the reasons for the imposition of the requirements, state that the employer's agreement to accept the conditions will constitute inclusion of them as bona fide conditions and terms of a temporary alien agricultural labor certification, and shall offer the employer an opportunity to request an administrative review or a de novo hearing before an administrative law judge. If an administrative review or de novo hearing is requested, the procedures prescribed in §655.112 of this part shall apply. (2) Failure to comply with special procedures. If the OFLC Administrator determines that the employer has failed to comply with special procedures required pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) of this section, the OFLC Administrator shall send a written notice to the employer, stating that the employer's otherwise affirmative temporary alien agricultural labor certification determination will be reduced by twenty-five percent of the total number of H–2A aliens requested (which cannot be more than those requested in the previous year) for a period of one year. Notice of such a reduction in the number of workers requested shall be conveyed to the employer by the OFLC Administrator in the OFLC Administrator's written temporary alien agricultural labor certification determination required by §655.101 of this part. The notice shall offer the employer an opportunity to request an administrative review or a de novo hearing before an administrative law judge. If an administrative review or de novo hearing is requested, the procedures prescribed in §655.112 of this part shall apply, provided that if the administrative law judge affirms the OFLC Administrator's determination that the employer has failed to comply with special procedures required by paragraph (c)(1) of this section, the reduction in the number of workers requested shall be twenty-five percent of the total number of H–2A aliens requested (which cannot be more than those requested in the previous year) for a period of one year. (d) Penalties involving members of associations. If, after investigation as provided for under paragraph (a) of this section, or notification from the Employment Standards Administration under paragraph (b) of this section, the OFLC Administrator determines that a substantial violation has occurred, and if an individual producer member of a joint employer association is determined to have committed the violation, the denial of temporary alien agricultural labor certification penalty prescribed in paragraph (a) shall apply only to that member of the association unless the OFLC Administrator determines that the association or other association member participated in, had knowledge of, or had reason to know of the violation, in which case the penalty shall be invoked against the association or other association member as well. (e) Penalties involving associations acting as joint employers. If, after investigation as provided for under paragraph (a) of this section, or notification from the Employment Standards Administration under paragraph (b) of this section, the OFLC Administrator determines that a substantial violation has occurred, and if an association acting as a joint employer with its members is determined to have committed the violation, the denial of temporary alien agricultural labor certification penalty prescribed in paragraph (a) of this section shall apply only to the association, and shall not be applied to any individual producer member of the association unless the OFLC Administrator determines that the member participated in, had knowledge of, or reason to know of the violation, in which case the penalty shall be invoked against the association member as well. (f) Penalties involving associations acting as sole employers. If, after investigation as provided for under paragraph (a) of this section, or notification from the Employment Standards Administration under paragraph (b) of this section, the OFLC Administrator determines that a substantial violation has occurred, and if an association acting as a sole employer is determined to have committed the violation, no individual producer member of the association shall be permitted to employ certified H–2A workers in the crop and occupation for which the H–2A workers had been previously certified for the sole employer association unless the producer member applies for temporary alien agricultural labor certification under the provisions of this subpart in the capacity of an individual employer/applicant or as a member of a joint employer association, and is granted temporary alien agricultural labor certification by the OFLC Administrator. (g) Types of violations—(1) Substantial violation. For the purposes of this subpart, a substantial violation is one or more actions of commission or omission on the part of the employer or the employer's agent, with respect to which the OFLC Administrator determines: (i)(A) That the action(s) is/are significantly injurious to the wages, benefits, or working conditions of 10 percent or more of an employer's U.S. and/or H–2A workforce; and that: (1) With respect to the action(s), the employer has failed to comply with one or more penalties imposed by the Employment Standards Administration for violation(s) of contractual obligations found by that agency (if applicable), or with one or more decisions or orders of the Secretary or a court pursuant to §216 of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1186), this subpart, or 29 CFR part 501 (Employment Standards Administration enforcement of contractual obligations); or (2) The employer has engaged in a pattern or practice of actions which are significantly injurious to the wages, benefits, or working conditions of 10 percent or more of an employer's U.S. and/or H–2A workforce; (B) That the action(s) involve(s) impeding an investigation of an employer pursuant to §216 of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1186), this subpart, or 29 CFR part 501 (Employment Standards Administration enforcement of contractual obligations); (C) That the employer has not paid the necessary fee in a timely manner; (D) That the employer is not currently eligible to apply for a temporary alien agricultural labor certification pursuant to §655.210 of this part (failure of an employer to comply with the terms of a temporary alien agricultural labor certification in which the application was filed under subpart C of this part prior to June 1, 1987); or (E) That there was fraud involving the application for temporary alien agricultural labor certification of that the employer made a material misrepresentation of fact during the application process; and (ii) That there are no extenuating circumstances involved with the action(s) described in paragraph (g)(1)(i) of this section (as determined by the OFLC Administrator). (2) Less than substantial violation. For the purposes of this subpart, a less than substantial violation is an action of commission or omission on the part of the employer or the employer's agent which violates a requirement of this subpart, but is not a substantial violation. [52 FR 20507, June 1, 1987, as amended at 71 FR 35519, June 21, 2006]
Title 20: Employees' Benefits
PART 655—TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT OF ALIENS IN THE UNITED STATES
Subpart B—Labor Certification Process for Temporary Agricultural Employment in the United States (H–2A Workers)
§ 655.110 Employer penalties for noncompliance with terms and conditions of temporary alien agricultural labor certifications.
