Legacy Labor: Overcoming labor shortages

Photo courtesy of Legacy Labor

What are the options for growers that have been unsuccessful in filling open seasonal positions?

One definite reliable and dependable alternative when you can’t find local labor is to use the H-2A visa program for temporary agricultural workers. It brings to the greenhouse grower dependable and reliable labor. With this program, migrant seasonal workers are vetted through the U.S. Department of Labor and in turn through a company like Legacy Labor are brought to the grower for a set period to complete a set of tasks that have been predetermined. It’s a great way for the grower to know they have reliable labor that’s going to show up at a specific date for a specific type of work and stay through a specific date. So, the grower can really plan their growing season around knowing that they’ll have labor.

Dealing with the bureaucracy around immigration and visas sounds complicated. How can a grower manage the process without getting overwhelmed?

There are a couple of different federal and state level organizations involved. If a grower isn’t familiar with these agencies and how to navigate the bureaucracy that’s involved, it can be very cumbersome. That’s where an organization like Legacy Labor comes in. As a licensed grower labor contractor, we are turnkey when it comes to navigating through the bureaucracy. We ensure that the visas are filed. We ensure that the workers are vetted and receive the proper documentation before ever leaving their home country. So, we really we take the hassle out of navigating that visa application and award process.

With an H-2A visa secured, there are still considerations like housing and transportation. Do the growers need to provide those?

When it comes to vetting of the H-2A visa workers, that’s Legacy Labor’s responsibility. In turn, as part of the process and the agreement we have with our growers, we take on the responsibility of the required housing. We ensure that the workers we vet and recruit for that grower have transportation. And by doing that, we significantly reduced the grower’s liability. Legacy Labor accepts that responsibility, which means we also accept the responsibility for any audits that the U.S. Department of Labor may choose to perform.

What kind of management help do you provide?

We provide a dedicated workforce coordinator who is the same individual who recruited the workforce for the grower. They have a rapport with the workers coming in. They stay on site, perform our Legacy Labor orientation with the workers and ensure they understand the regulations and responsibilities that they have with us and the grower. This helps ease cultural concerns. We go as far as to also ensure that there is a bilingual translator with every crew just helping with the communication between the grower and the H-2A workers.

Do growers have to go through the same process with new workers every year?

No. We will retain up to 90% of the same workers for the grower every season. That beats local and regional recruiting and ensures that you build good, long-lasting relationships with your seasonal workforce.