DOL Receives $73K for Federal Labor Certification

Local
Thursday, September 16, 2010

Labor bags $73K to support federal labor certification programs for farm workers

By Press Release

The CNMI Department of Labor has received approval from the Office of Foreign Labor Certification of the U.S. Department of Labor of its “FY 2010 Annual Plan for Foreign Labor Certification.”

The approval from the Washington D.C.-based Employment and Training Administration was accompanied by a grant award in the amount of $73,355.32. The funds are intended to support activities by the Office of Foreign Labor Certification in the H-2A program for the local agriculture industry.

While the CNMI Department of Labor has participated in an online training session, this is the first time it will officially participate, like other states, in Office of Foreign Labor Certification activities.

“I'd like to congratulate the CNMI Department of Labor for applying for and receiving this grant from the federal government which is recognition of the ongoing role that our CNMI Labor Department will play in foreign labor certification. It is important to have federal and Commonwealth laws operate in tandem regarding labor matters, as in other states and territories,” said Gov. Benigno R. Fitial.

The grant awarded to the Labor will be used for the startup of Foreign Labor Certification under U.S. Department of Labor Planning Guidance for the local agriculture industry. Specifically, the program will provide funding to cover the work of CNMI Department of Labor employees in providing housing inspections and wage surveys. CNMI Labor will supplement the standard U.S. wage survey for the agriculture industry with a complete review of all alien CNMI farm labor contracts.

The CNMI also recently added farm workers to the central job order system created by the CNMI Department of Labor in recent years. The online job order system is designed to promote a statutory job preference for U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and CNMI permanent residents. Job orders are posted for 14 days on the Web at www.marianaslabor.net in order to give qualified citizens an opportunity to apply.

At the present time, there were 114 job orders forecasted CNMI-wide for foreign agriculture workers that will fall under the H-2A program.