Change in Trump Administration Policy Affects Pacific Northwest Seasonal Farmworkers
Foreign seasonal workers on Pacific Northwest farms will experience a decrease in hourly wages due to a policy change by the Trump administration.
The Department of Labor, under Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, has modified the hourly wages for workers under the federal H-2A agricultural program. In Oregon, agricultural workers with H-2A visas will see their wages reduced from $19.82 per hour to as low as $15.25, a 23% decrease. More skilled positions will be paid slightly higher, at $17.62 per hour.
- The H-2A program allows agricultural employers to hire temporary foreign farmworkers when a domestic worker shortage is anticipated.
- Many of these workers come from Mexico.
- As of this month, over 3,700 people have been certified to work in Oregon under the H-2A program in 2025, according to the DOL Office of Foreign Labor Certification.
Author's summary: Seasonal farmworkers in the Pacific Northwest will earn less due to policy changes.