News & Issues

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

TO ALL FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS in Georgia,  WE NEED YOUR HELP!!  Please help!!!  GFVGA needs you to support our industry and place some harvester and/or packing facility job orders with the Department of Labor.  GFVGA will do all the paperwork in filling out the orders, etc.  We have developed two generic job orders - for HARVESTER and PACKING FACILITY WORKER.   Click on either HARVESTER or PACKING FACILITY WORKER - you can fill them out and fax (706-883-8215) or email them back to us (info@gfvga.org).  GFVGA will do all of the work in filing out and submitting the forms for
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Farmers tie labor shortage to state’s new immigration law, ask for help

By Jeremy Redmon The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 8:43 p.m. Thursday, May 26, 2011 Migrant farmworkers are bypassing Georgia because of the state’s tough new immigration enforcement law, creating a severe labor shortage among fruit and vegetable growers here and potentially putting hundreds of millions of dollars in crops in jeopardy, agricultural industry leaders said this week. Meanwhile, the state’s Republican labor and agricultural commissioners are discussing issuing a joint statement in the coming days about what they intend to do about the labor shortage, a Labor Department spokesman confirmed Thursday. Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers
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Southeast Growers Await High-Quality Peach Crop

Southeast Growers Await High-Quality Peach Crop Click HERE for the full article.
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H.B. 87 – Passed by the General Assembly

NOTES on the Immigration Reform Bill – H.B. 87  - passed by the General Assembly on April 14, 2011.  (this is GFVGA’s understanding of the Bill as passed and not a legal interpretation of the final legislation.  Due to amendments made in the Bill in the final hours of the session, there may be changes to some of the items listed below.)   1.  The Bill includes E-verify for companies with ten or more employees, working 35 or more hours a week, on Janaury 1 of the year in question. For example if you employ 11 employees on January 1
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E-verify Removed – But it is not over yet!

Some good news! Under the leadership of Senator John Bulloch, the Senate voted last night to remove the E-Verify mandate for private employers. There is still some parts of the bill dealing with enforcement that are not favorable, but this is a huge step in the right direction. Senator Bulloch shared the industry letter that you signed with each senator and referenced it during his comments. With your help, we made a difference in the future of this bill. Thank you for adding your name to the industry letter.  BUT, it isn't over.  The bill now goes back to the
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Webinar- Introduction to PACA in Spanish

The Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) was enacted at the request of the fruit and vegetable industry to promote fair trade in the industry.  PACA protects businesses dealing in fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables by establishing and enforcing a code of fair business practices and helping companies resolve business disputes.  Patrick Romero, the webinar speaker, will detail how PACA helps companies resolve business disputes and protects the fruit and vegetable industry and ultimately, your business.  This webinar will be conducted in Spanish. Romero is the Regional Director in the Western Regional PACA office in Tucson, Arizona. He has been
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