[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 20, Volume 3] [Revised as of April 1, 2003] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 20CFR655.202] [Page 494-496] TITLE 20--EMPLOYEES' BENEFITS CHAPTER V--EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PART 655--TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT OF ALIENS IN THE UNITED STATES--Table of Contents Subpart C--Labor Certification Process for Logging Employment and Non-H- 2A Agricultural Employment Sec. 655.202 Contents of job offers. (a) So that the employment of aliens will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers, each employer's job offer to U.S. workers must offer U.S. workers at least the same benefits which the employer is offering, intends to offer, or will afford, to temporary foreign workers. Conversely, no job offer may impose on U.S. workers any restrictions or obligations which will not be imposed on the employer's foreign workers. For example, if the employer intends to advance transportation costs to foreign workers either directly or indirectly (by having them paid by the foreign government involved), the employer must offer to advance the transportation costs of U.S. workers. (b) Except when higher benefits, wages or working conditions are required by the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, the Administrator has determined that, in order to protect similarly employed U.S. workers from adverse effect with respect to wages and working conditions, every job offer for U.S. workers must always include the following minimal benefit, wage, and working condition provisions: (1) The employer will provide the worker with housing without charge to the worker. The housing will meet the full set of standards set forth at 29 CFR 1910.142 or the full set of standards set forth at part 654, subpart E of this chapter, whichever is applicable under the criteria of 20 CFR 654.401; except that, for mobile range housing for sheepherders, the housing shall meet existing Departmental guidelines. When it is the prevailing practice in the area of intended employment to provide family housing, the employer will provide such housing to such workers. (2) (i) If the job opportunity is covered by the State workers' compensation law, the worker will be eligible for workers' compensation for injury and disease arising out of and in the course of worker's employment; or (ii) If the job opportunity is not covered by the State workers' compensation law, the employer will provide at no cost to the worker, insurance covering injury and disease arising out of and in the course of the worker's employment which will provide benefits at least equal to those provided under the State workers' compensation law for comparable employment; (3) The employer will provide without cost to the worker all tools, supplies and equipment required to perform the duties assigned and, if any of these items are provided by the worker, the employer will reimburse the worker for the cost of those so provided; (4) The employer will provide the worker with three meals a day, except that where under prevailing practice or longstanding arrangement at the establishment workers prepare their meals, employers need furnish only free and convenient cooking and kitchen facilities. Where the employer provides the meals, the job offer shall state the cost to the worker for such meals. Until a new amount is set pursuant to this paragraph (b)(4), the cost shall not be more than $4.94 per day unless the RA has approved a higher cost pursuant to Sec. 655.211 of this part. Each year the charge allowed by this paragraph (b)(4) will be changed by the 12-month percent change for the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for Food between December of the year just concluded and December of the year prior to that. The annual adjustments shall be effective on their publication by the Administrator in the Federal Register. (5) (i) The employer will provide or pay for the worker's transportation and daily subsistence from the place, [[Page 495]] from which the worker, without intervening employment, will come to work for the employer, to the place of employment, subject to the deductions allowed by paragraph (b)(13) of this section. The amount of the daily subsistence payment shall be at least as much as the amount the employer willl charge the worker for providing the worker with three meals a day during employment; (ii) If the worker completes the work contract period, the employer will provide or pay for the worker's transportation and daily subsistence from the place of employment to the place, from which the worker, without intervening employment, came to work for the employer, unless the worker has contracted for employment with a subsequent employer who, in that contract, has agreed to pay for the worker's transportation and daily subsistence expenses from the employer's worksite to such subsequent employer's worksite; and (iii) The employer will provide transportation between the worker's living quarters and the employer's worksite without cost to the worker, and such transportation will be in accordance with applicable laws and regulations; (6) (i) The employer guarantees to offer the worker employment for at least three-fourths of the workdays of the total period during which the work contract and all extensions thereof are in effect, beginning with the first workday after the arrival of the worker at the place of employment and ending on the termination date specified in the work contract, or in its extensions if any. For purposes of this paragraph, a workday shall mean any period consisting of 8 hours of work time. An employer shall not be considered to have met the work guarantee if the employer has merely offered work on three-fourths of the workdays. The work must be offered for at least three-fourths of the 8 hour workdays. (That is, \3/4\ x (number of days x 8 hours.)) Therefore, if, for example, the contract contains 20 workdays, the worker must be offered employment for 120 hours during the 20 workdays. A worker may be offered more than 8 hours of work on a single workday. For purposes of meeting the guarantee, however, the worker may not be required to work for more than 8 hours per workday, or on the worker's Sabbath or Federal holidays; (ii) If the worker will be paid on a piece rate basis, the employer will use the worker's average hourly earnings to calculate the amount due under the guarantee; and (iii) Any hours which the worker fails to work when the worker has been offered an opportunity to do so pursuant to paragraph (b)(6)(i) of this section, and all hours of work actually performed (including voluntary work over 8 hours in a workday, or on the worker's Sabbath or Federal holidays) may be counted by the employer in calculating whether the period of guaranteed employment has been met; (7) (i) The employer will keep accurate and adequate records with respect to the workers' earnings, including field tally records, supporting summary payroll records, and records showing: The nature and amount of the work performed; the number of hours of work offered each day by the employer (broken out by hours offered both in accordance with, and over and above, the guarantee); the hours actually worked each day by the worker; the time the worker began and ended each workday; the rate of pay; the worker's earnings per pay period; and the amount of and reasons for any and all deductions made from the worker's wages; (ii) If the number of hours worked by the worker is less than the number offered in accordance with the guarantee, the records will state the reason or reasons therefor; (iii) The records, including field tally records and supporting summary payroll records, will be made available for inspection and copying by representatives of the Secretary of Labor, and by the worker and the worker's representatives; and (iv) The employer will retain the records for not less than three years after the completion of the contract; (8) The employer will furnish to the worker at or before each payday, in one or more written statements: (i) The worker's total earnings for the pay period; [[Page 496]] (ii) The worker's hourly rate or piece rate of pay; (iii) The hours of employment which have been offered to the worker (broken out by offers in accordance with, and over and above, the guarantee); (iv) The hours actually worked by the worker; (v) An itemization of all deductions made from the worker's wages; and (vi) If piece rates are used, the units produced daily; (9) (i) If the worker will be paid by the hour, the employer will pay the worker at least the adverse effect rate; or (ii)(A) If the worker will be paid on a piece rate basis, and the piece rate does not result at the end of the pay period in average hourly earnings during the pay period at least equal to the amount the worker would have earned had the worker been paid at the adverse effect rate, the worker's pay will be supplemented at that time so that the worker's earnings are at least as much as the worker would have earned during the pay period if the worker had been paid at the adverse effect rate. (B) If the employer who pays on a piece rate basis requires one or more minimum productivity standards of workers as a condition of job retention, (1) such standards shall be no more than those applied by the employer in 1977, unless the RA approves a higher minimum; or (2) if the employer first applied for temporary labor certification after 1977, such standards shall be no more than those normally required (at the time of that first application) by other employers for the activity in the area of intended employment, unless the RA approves a higher minimum. (10) The frequency with which the worker will be paid (in accordance with the prevailing practice in the area of intended employment, or at least biweekly whichever is more frequent); (11) If the worker voluntarily abandons employment before the end of the contract period, or is terminated for cause, the employer will not be responsible for providing or paying for the subsequent transportation and subsistence expenses of any worker for whom the employer would have otherwise been required to pay such expenses under paragraph (b)(5)(ii) of this section; (12) If, before the expiration date specified in the work contract, the services of the worker are no longer required for reasons beyond the control of the employer due to fire or other Act of God which makes the fulfillment of the contract impossible, and the RA so certifies, the employer may terminate the work contract. In such cases the employer will make efforts to transfer the worker to other comparable employment acceptable to the worker. If such transfer is not effected, the worker (i) will be returned to the place from which the worker, without intervening employment, came to work for the employer at the employer's expense; and (ii) Will be reimbursed the full amount of any deductions made from the worker's pay by the employer for transportation and subsistence expenses to the place of employment borne directly or indirectly by the employer; (13) The employer will make those deductions from the worker's paycheck which are required by law. The job offer shall specify all deductions, not required by law, which the employer will make from the worker's paycheck. All deductions shall be reasonable. The employer may deduct the cost of the worker's transportation and daily subsistence expenses to the place of employment which were borne directly by the employer; in such cases, however, the job offer shall state that the worker will be reimbursed the full amount of such deductions upon the worker's completion of 50 percent of the worker's contract period; and (14) The employer will provide the worker a copy of the work contract between the employer and the worker. The work contract shall contain all of the provisions required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1205-0015) [43 FR 10313, Mar. 10, 1978, as amended at 45 FR 14185, Mar. 4, 1980; 49 FR 18295, Apr. 30, 1984; 51 FR 30351, Aug. 26, 1986; 52 FR 11466, Apr. 9, 1987]