17 States, Farmers Sue to Block Federal Rule Allowing Foreign Workers to Unionize

Under the proposal, millions of American farm workers would be unable to access some of the rights given to foreign H-2A visa workers.

A migrant worker works on a farm in Homestead, Fla., on May 11, 2023. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

A coalition of 17 states is suing to keep the Department of Labor from granting foreign farm workers certain labor rights that it says even many American workers don’t enjoy.

At the center of the lawsuit, filed June 10 at the U.S. Southern District Court of Georgia, is a proposed rule aimed at offering many protections for agricultural workers employed in the H-2A temporary worker visa program.