29 U.S.C. § 1831

Current through P.L. 118-106 (published on www.congress.gov on 10/04/2024)

Section 1831 - Information and recordkeeping requirements

(a) Written disclosure requirements imposed upon recruiters

(1) Each farm labor contractor, agricultural employer, and agricultural association which recruits any seasonal agricultural worker (other than day-haul workers described in section 1802(10)(A)(ii) of this title) shall ascertain and, upon request, disclose in writing the following information when an offer of employment is made to such worker:

(A) the place of employment;

(B) the wage rates to be paid;

(C) the crops and kinds of activities on which the worker may be employed;

(D) the period of employment;

(E) the transportation and any other employee benefit to be provided, if any, and any costs to be charged for each of them;

(F) the existence of any strike or other concerted work stoppage, slowdown, or interruption of operations by employees at the place of employment;

(G) the existence of any arrangements with any owner or agent of any establishment in the area of employment under which the farm labor contractor, the agricultural employer, or the agricultural association is to receive a commission or any other benefit resulting from any sales by such establishment to the workers; and

(H) whether State workers' compensation insurance is provided, and, if so, the name of the State workers' compensation insurance carrier, the name of the policyholder of such insurance, the name and the telephone number of each person who must be notified of an injury or death, and the time period within which such notice must be given.

Compliance with the disclosure requirement of subparagraph (H) may be met if such worker is given, upon request, a photocopy of any notice regarding workers' compensation insurance required by law of the State in which such worker is employed.

(2) Each farm labor contractor, agricultural employer, and agricultural association which recruits seasonal agricultural workers through use of a day-haul operation described in section 1802(10)(A)(ii) of this title shall ascertain and disclose in writing to the worker at the place of recruitment the information described in paragraph (1).

(b) Posting requirements imposed upon employers

Each farm labor contractor, agricultural employer, and agricultural association which employs any seasonal agricultural worker shall, at the place of employment, post in a conspicuous place a poster provided by the Secretary setting forth the rights and protections afforded such workers under this chapter, including the right of a seasonal agricultural worker to have, upon request, a written statement provided by the farm labor contractor, agricultural employer, or agricultural association, of the information described in subsection (a). Such employer shall provide, upon request, a written statement of the information described in subsection (a).

(c) Recordkeeping and information requirements imposed upon employers

Each farm labor contractor, agricultural employer, and agricultural association which employs any seasonal agricultural worker shall-

(1) with respect to each such worker, make, keep, and preserve records for three years of the following information:

(A) the basis on which wages are paid;

(B) the number of piecework units earned, if paid on a piecework basis;

(C) the number of hours worked;

(D) the total pay period earnings;

(E) the specific sums withheld and the purpose of each sum withheld; and

(F) the net pay; and

(2) provide to each such worker for each pay period, an itemized written statement of the information required by paragraph (1) of this subsection.

(d) Furnishing of records by farm labor contractor; maintenance of records by recipient

(1)¹ Each farm labor contractor shall provide to any other farm labor contractor and to any agricultural employer and agricultural association to which such farm labor contractor has furnished seasonal agricultural workers, copies of all records with respect to each such worker which such farm labor contractor is required to retain by subsection (c)(1). The recipient of these records shall keep them for a period of three years from the end of the period of employment.

(e) Prohibition on knowingly providing false or misleading information to workers

No farm labor contractor, agricultural employer, or agricultural association shall knowingly provide false or misleading information to any seasonal agricultural worker concerning the terms, conditions, or existence of agricultural employment required to be disclosed by subsection (a), (b), or (c).

(f) Form and language requirements

The information required to be disclosed by subsections (a) and (b) of this section to seasonal agricultural workers shall be provided in written form. Such information shall be provided in English or, as necessary and reasonable, in Spanish or other language common to seasonal agricultural workers who are not fluent or literate in English. The Department of Labor shall make forms available in English, Spanish, and other languages, as necessary, which may be used in providing workers with information required under this section.

¹ So in original. No par. (2) has been enacted.

29 U.S.C. § 1831

Pub. L. 97-470, title III, §301, Jan. 14, 1983, 96 Stat. 2592; Pub. L. 104-49, §4(b), Nov. 15, 1995, 109 Stat. 434.

EDITORIAL NOTES

AMENDMENTS1995-Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 104-49 added subpar. (H) and concluding provisions.

STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES

EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1995 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 104-49 effective upon expiration of 90 days after the date final regulations are issued by Secretary of Labor to implement such amendment, see section 4(c) of Pub. L. 104-49 set out as a note under section 1821 of this title.

EFFECTIVE DATESection effective 90 days from Jan. 14, 1983, see section 524 of Pub. L. 97-470 set out as a note under section 1801 of this title.

Secretary: The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Labor or the Secretary's authorized representative.
State: The term "State" means any of the States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and Guam.
agricultural association: The term "agricultural association" means any nonprofit or cooperative association of farmers, growers, or ranchers, incorporated or qualified under applicable State law, which recruits, solicits, hires, employs, furnishes, or transports any migrant or seasonal agricultural worker.
agricultural employer: The term "agricultural employer" means any person who owns or operates a farm, ranch, processing establishment, cannery, gin, packing shed or nursery, or who produces or conditions seed, and who either recruits, solicits, hires, employs, furnishes, or transports any migrant or seasonal agricultural worker.
agricultural employment: The term "agricultural employment" means employment in any service or activity included within the provisions of section 3(f) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(f)), or section 3121(g) of title 26 and the handling, planting, drying, packing, packaging, processing, freezing, or grading prior to delivery for storage of any agricultural or horticultural commodity in its unmanufactured state.
day-haul operation: The term "day-haul operation" means the assembly of workers at a pick-up point waiting to be hired and employed, transportation of such workers to agricultural employment, and the return of such workers to a drop-off point on the same day.
farm labor contractor: The term "farm labor contractor" means any person, other than an agricultural employer, an agricultural association, or an employee of an agricultural employer or agricultural association, who, for any money or other valuable consideration paid or promised to be paid, performs any farm labor contracting activity.
person: The term "person" means any individual, partnership, association, joint stock company, trust, cooperative, or corporation.