Since mid-September, US Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) has pushed the US Department of Labor to delay the implementation of a new prevailing wage rate rule, which would raise the hourly wages of H-2B guestworkers. Under Mikulski’s pressure and an industry lawsuit, the DOL delayed the implementation of the new regulations until November 30, 2011. The new regulation was issued in accordance with a court order in CATA v Solis (Civil No. 09-CV-240). CDM served as co-counsel in that case with with Friends of Farmworkers, Northwest Workers’ Justice Project, the North Carolina Justice Center, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Edward Tuddenham. CDM has intervened in litigation brought by employers and employer associations to block implementation of the new rule. CDM also sent a letter to Senator Mikulski urging her to reconsider her position. CDM encourages you to contact your Senators directly to express your support of the new prevailing wage regulations for H-2B workers. For further reading on this issue, visit: Huffington Post, Baltimore Sun, ENews PF.