Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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WACO, Texas -- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and the Texas Farm Bureau will sign a compliance partnership agreement to educate and inform Texas rural and farm communities about the laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division in the agricultural industry.

A signing ceremony was held today at the offices of the Texas Farm Bureau, 7420 Fish Pond Road, Waco.

“We welcome this partnership with the Texas Farm Bureau. It will enable us to more effectively reach out to the rural and farm communities of Texas that can benefit from compliance assistance,” said Cynthia Watson, Wage and Hour regional administrator in Dallas.

Objectives for the partnership include providing information and education assistance to rural and farming communities regarding the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act and its youth provisions, the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Protection Act, the field sanitation standards under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the H-2A program under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Through conferences, seminars and training sessions, the Wage and Hour Division will provide information on topics such as minimum wage requirements, overtime provisions, child labor standards, farm labor contracting, field sanitation and migrant labor housing.

Founded in 1933, the Texas Farm Bureau is committed to providing a voice for farmers, ranchers and rural citizens. The Bureau’s accomplishments include agricultural exemptions from ad valorem taxation, protection of property rights and tax exemptions for machinery, feed, seed and fertilizer. In addition, their efforts have resulted in improving the farm-to-market road system in Texas.

For more information on compliance assistance or the labor laws in the agricultural industry, call the Wage and Hour San Antonio district office at (210) 308-4515 or the Department of Labor’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243). Information is also available on the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance.