The Immigration Spring [NY Times] 

Schumer: Gang of 8 Has ‘Substantive Agreement’ on Immigration Issues [Yahoo News]

Senate Group Resolves Key Issues on Immigration Reform: Lawmakers [Reuters]

Sides Reach Broad Agreement on Immigrant Guest Workers [CNN]

Labor, Business Leaders Reach Wage Agreement for Immigrant Workers [LA Times]

Business, Labor Reach Deal on Low-Skilled Worker Visas [USA Today]

AFL-CIO Summary of Future Flow Program [AFL-CIO]

FILED UNDER: Immigration Reform

Thanks to D. Michael Dale for this synopsis:

On Thursday, March 21, 2013, the United States District Court in Philadelphia ruled in C.A.T.A et al v. Solis that the Department of Labor can no longer use the flawed methodology for calculating the H-2B prevailing wage that was adopted by the outgoing Bush administration in its waning hours.  Earlier, the C.A.T.A. court had found the prior rule to be unlawfully adopted and ordered the department to adopt a new methodology promptly.  However, in order to avoid a regulatory vacuum, the court had left the Bush rules in place in the interim.  DOL adopted a new rule that more or less uses the mean wage paid to workers in the job classification and area, which would have increased prevailing wages in the H-2B program by an average amount of $4.38 per hour.  Unfortunately, that rule has never gone into effect because of a Congressional rider placed on DOL's appropriation forbidding the use of the new methodology.  DOL has reverted to using the old rules, and expressed no intention or plan to the court as to how it would bring the program into compliance with the H-2B statute.  The court has now ruled that, 30 months after the Bush rule was declared to be unlawful, DOL cannot continue to use the invalid rule.  The court has given the Department of Labor 30 days to come into compliance.

FILED UNDER: Agricultural Workers | DOL | Guestworkers | Litigation

Three Shocking Examples of Guest-Worker Abuses [ABC News] 

Visas for high-skilled workers could double under bipartisan Senate plan [Washington Post]

Poll Finds Broad Support for Path to Citizenship for Immigrants [NY Times]

How Arizona Cheats Immigration Reform: Charging workers for identity theft [Salon]

El Patrón Es El Ladrón! - The Boss Is The Thief! [The Rebel Press]

FILED UNDER: Immigrant Workers | Immigration Reform

The Migration Policy Institute is now accepting applications for the 2013 E Pluribus Unum Prizes. In its fifth year, the Prizes program will award three $50,000 prizes and one Corporate Leadership Award to outstanding immigrant integration initiatives of all types, whether led by nonprofit or community organizations, businesses, public agencies, religious groups, or individuals. The application period closes on April 12. For rules, procedures and the online application, visit: www.integrationawards.org, or contact Emma Brown, at ebrown@migrationpolicy.org.

FILED UNDER: Immigration

The National Employment Law Project today applauded President Obama’s expected nomination of Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Thomas Perez to be the nation’s next Secretary of Labor.  NELP’s Executive Director Christine Owens said:

President Obama could not have chosen a more capable, more commendable or more committed candidate for our next Secretary of Labor than Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Tom Perez.  Throughout a distinguished career in serving the public interest, Perez has single-mindedly advanced the rights of all Americans to fair treatment and equal opportunity in multiple arenas of public life, including the workplace, our schools, within the criminal justice system and at the ballot box.  At a moment when so many Americans remain anxious about finding and keeping jobs that enable them to provide for today and prepare for tomorrow, Tom Perez will bring the skill and deep experience needed to move the Labor Department front and center in rebuilding an economy that works for all who work in America. 

FILED UNDER: DOL