The US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour division announced last week that they will be initiating a Emphasis Program for Agricultural Employers in the US. Earlier in the week, they had specifically mentioned the Southeast. Both Releases will be linked below.

Cotton gins in the Southeast have been targeted for the past few years with several in each state receiving special attention from the Wage and Hour division. In the coming weeks we will be publishing more information on compliance but for now please find the DoL’s ag compliance toolkit. It has several links that will get you started.

Remember, cotton gins have partial exemptions from over time that are not covered in the toolkit. Those carve-outs bring with them extra responsibilities such as keeping up with daily vs weekly overtime.

These emphasis programs are NOT just for H-2A employers but all of agriculture.

The Wage and Hour Ag Toolkit can be found here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/compliance-assistance/toolkits/agriculture

Southeast Emphasis Program: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20210308

National Agricultural Emphasis Program: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20210325

Please don’t hesitate to call with any questions.

DSF