Farmworkers weed wine-grape plants. (Jackie Johnston / The Associated Press)
FRESNO, Calif. (CN) The nation’s largest farmworkers union urged a federal judge in California Monday to halt a pending wage freeze for immigrant workers, arguing the Trump administration rushed the contentious plan that could save farmers a combined $167 million annually in labor costs.
In a last-minute attempt to prevent the freeze from taking effect on Dec. 21, California-based United Farm Workers accused the feds in virtual oral arguments of “catching everyone off guard” with the rule change that stands to cut the average worker’s pay by 4% over the next two years. The union blasted the Trump administration for rewriting a law intended to protect workers and turning it into a boon for employers.