[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 29, Volume 3]

[Revised as of July 1, 2006]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 29CFR500.30]



[Page 19-21]

 

                             TITLE 29--LABOR

 

         CHAPTER V--WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

 

PART 500_MIGRANT AND SEASONAL AGRICULTURAL WORKER PROTECTION--Table of 

Contents

 

                      Subpart A_General Provisions

 

Sec.  500.30  Persons not subject to the Act.



    (a) Family business exemption. Any individual who engages in a farm 

labor contracting activity on behalf of a farm, processing 

establishment, seed conditioning establishment, cannery, gin, packing 

shed, or nursery, which is owned or operated exclusively by such 

individual or an immediate family member of such individual, if such 

activities are performed only for such operation and exclusively by such 

individual or an immediate family member, but without regard to whether 

such individual has incorporated or otherwise organized for business 

purposes.

    (b) Small business exemption. Any person, other than a farm labor 

contractor, for whom the man-days exemption for agricultural labor 

provided under section 13(a)(6)(A) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 

1938 (29 U.S.C. 213(a)(6)(A)) is applicable. That exemption applies to 

an agricultural employer who did not, during any calendar quarter of the 

preceding calendar year, use more man-days of agricultural labor than 

the limit specified under that statute.

    (1) Currently the limit for exemption is 500 man-days.

    (2) A man-day means any day during which an employee performs 

agricultural labor for not less than one (1)



[[Page 20]]



hour. Agricultural labor performed by an employer's parent, spouse, 

child, or other member of his immediate family, i.e., step-children, 

foster children, step-parents and foster parents, brothers, and sisters 

is not counted as man-days.

    (3) The man-days of agricultural labor rendered in a joint 

employment relationship are counted toward the man-days of such labor of 

each employer for purposes of the man-day test of this exemption.

    (c) Common carriers. Any common carrier which would be a farm labor 

contractor solely because the carrier is engaged in the farm labor 

contracting activity of transporting any migrant or seasonal 

agricultural worker. A ``common carrier'' by motor vehicle is one which 

holds itself out to the general public to engage in transportation of 

passengers for hire, whether over regular or irregular routes, and which 

holds a valid certificate of authorization for such purposes from an 

appropriate local, State or Federal agency.

    (d) Labor organizations. Any labor organization, as defined in 

section 2(5) of the Labor Management Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 152(5)) 

(without regard to the exclusion of agricultural employees in that Act) 

or as defined under applicable State labor relations law.

    (e) Nonprofit charitable organizations. Any nonprofit charitable 

organization or public or private nonprofit educational institution.

    (f) Local short-term contracting activity. Any person who engages in 

any farm labor contracting activity solely within a twenty-five mile 

intrastate radius of such person's permanent place of residence and for 

not more than thirteen weeks per year.

    (1) Twenty-five mile intrastate radius as used in section 4(a)(3)(D) 

of the Act means that engagement in a farm labor contracting activity 

may not go beyond a twenty-five mile intrastate geographical radius. 

Once this limit is transcended, the exemption no longer applies and the 

person becomes subject to the requirements of the Act. If, for example, 

a person or his employee solicits workers from a distance greater than 

twenty-five miles from his permanent residence or from across a State 

line, then the person has engaged in a named activity outside of the 

permitted scope of the exemption, and is subject to the requirements of 

the Act. A person who uses lines of communication (such as U.S. Mail, 

telephone, or advertising) to recruit, solicit, hire, or furnish workers 

over a distance greater than twenty-five miles from his permanent 

residence or from across a State line for agricultural employment is 

also engaged in a named activity beyond the specified limit of the 

exemption and is subject to the Act. In the case of a corporation its 

permanent place of residence for these purposes shall be a single 

designated location.

    (2) For not more than thirteen weeks per year as used in section 

4(a)(3)(D) of the Act means that farm labor contracting activities may 

not be engaged in for more than thirteen weeks in a year. This does not 

mean, however,



that persons who engage in intrastate and short-range farm labor 

contracting activities are exempt for the first thirteen weeks of their 

farm labor contracting activities each year. The number of weeks of 

contracting activity during the prior year is also a factor. When the 

limit of weeks for the exemption is exceeded in a calendar year, the 

person is subject immediately to the Act and is also presumed subject to 

the Act in the next calendar year, unless it can be shown that the tests 

of section 4(a)(3)(D) are met.

    (g) Custom combine. Any custom combine, hay harvesting, or sheep 

shearing operation. Custom combine, hay harvesting, and sheep shearing 

operation means the agricultural services and activities involved in 

combining grain, harvesting hay and shearing sheep which are provided to 

a farmer on a contract basis by a person who provides the necessary 

equipment and labor and who specializes on providing such services and 

activities.

    (h) Custom poultry operations. Any custom poultry harvesting, 

breeding, debeaking, desexing, or health service operation, provided the 

employees of the operation are not regularly required to be away from 

their permanent place of residence other than during their normal 

working hours.

    (i) Seed production exemption. (1) Any person whose principal 

occupation or



[[Page 21]]



business is not agricultural employment, when supplying full-time 

students or other individuals whose principal occupation is not 

agricultural employment to detassel, rogue, or otherwise engage in the 

production of seed and to engage in related and incidental agricultural 

employment, unless such full-time students or other individuals are 

required to be away from their permanent place of residence overnight or 

there are individuals under eighteen years of age who are providing 

transportation on behalf of such person.

    (2) Any person to the extent he is supplied with students or other 

individuals for agricultural employment in accordance with paragraph 

(i)(1) of this section by a person who is exempt thereunder.

    (j) Shade grown tobacco. (1) Any person whose principal occupation 

or business is not agricultural employment, when supplying full-time 

students or other individuals whose principal occupation is not 

agricultural employment to string or harvest shade grown tobacco and to 

engage in related and incidental agricultural employment, unless there 

are individuals under eighteen years of age who are providing 

transportation on behalf of such person.

    (2) Any person to the extent he is supplied with students or other 

individuals for agricultural employment is accordance with paragraph 

(j)(1) of this section by a person who is exempt thereunder.

    (k) Employees of exempt employers. Any employee of any person 

described in paragraphs (c) through (j) of this section when performing 

farm labor contracting activities within the scope of such exemptions 

and exclusively for such person.