<p>The Georgia Department of Labor has released the results of its Prevailing Practice for Farm Workers and Laborers Survey. The survey was designed to shed light on the hiring practices of fruit and vegetable farmers who employ seasonal workers and addressed a range of hiring and labor topics, including pre-employment farm experience, payment periods, and housing for farm workers.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The GDOL surveyed over 1500 employees from 226 farm operations employing over 10,000 seasonal workers. Among the survey’s significant findings are that employers typically do not provide family housing or advance payment for transportation from place of recruitment; employers typically do not use Farm Labor contractors to secure workers; wages are predominantly paid out weekly; employers generally provide tools, supplies, and equipment for workers; and employers typically require experience to perform job duties.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">A variety of agricultural organizations including the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association encouraged growers to participate in the survey so that an accurate baseline of employment practices could be established for Georgia farming operations. GFVGA President Dick Minor is very appreciative of the effort that went into distributing and processing the results of the survey. Mr. Minor states “This was no small task, and we want to express our gratitude for the time and effort from the Commissioner and the GDOL staff to produce this survey and conduct research that was both unbiased and an accurate depiction of the atmosphere and production practices of our fruit and vegetable producers.” </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.dol.state.ga.us/" target="_new">Georgia Department of Labor</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
