Source: http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_125th/billtexts/SP042801.asp
Timestamp: 2018-01-24 05:22:06
Document Index: 509983087

Matched Legal Cases: ['§872', '§3', '§ 872', '§873', '§73', '§ 873', '§874', '§11', '§1043', '§11', '§12']

SP0428, LD 1383, item 1, An Act To Improve the Process by Which Logging Contractors Hire Legal Foreign Workers
LD 1383 Second Regular Session - 125th Maine Legislature
An Act To Improve the Process by Which Logging Contractors Hire Legal Foreign Workers
Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §872, as amended by PL 2009, c. 637, §§3 to 9, is further amended to read:
§ 872. Notification regarding foreign laborers in logging occupations
A. "Bond worker" means a person who has been described under 8 United States Code, Section 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii) and granted permission to work temporarily in the United States.
2. Proof of ownership required. An employer in this State who applies for a bond worker in a logging occupation shall provide proof of the employer's ownership of any logging equipment used by that worker in the course of employment, including proof of ownership of at least one piece of logging equipment for every 2 bond workers employed by the employer in a logging occupation. The employer shall provide proof of ownership as required by this subsection on a form provided by the Commissioner of Labor. The proof required by this subsection must include, but not be limited to, a receipt for payment for the equipment purchased in a bona fide transaction and documentation of payment of any tax assessed on the equipment pursuant to Title 36, chapter 105 for the year in which the bond worker is employed by the employer. Proof of ownership must be carried in the equipment and, upon request by the department, the operator of equipment subject to this section shall provide proof of ownership. Notwithstanding section 3, information regarding proof of ownership is not confidential and may be disclosed to the public. If the equipment is leased by the employer, the employer shall provide the name, address and telephone number of the leasing company and its affiliates and subsidiaries; the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the leasing company's owner or owners, its agent and members of its board of directors; and a copy of the lease document. A lease is sufficient to meet the ownership requirement of this section only if it is a bona fide lease and:
A. The lease consists of an arm’s length transaction between unrelated entities or is a transfer of equipment between affiliated companies;
2-A. Notification. An employer filing for certification from the United States Department of Labor to hire a bond worker to operate logging equipment shall at the time of filing of a bond worker in a logging occupation shall notify the Maine Department of Labor and provide, for the year in which the bond worker is employed, the number of bond workers requested; a list of each piece of logging equipment, including serial number, a bond worker will operate; receipts for payment for the logging equipment purchased in bona fide transactions; and documentation of payment of any tax assessed on the logging equipment pursuant to Title 36, chapter 105. An employer shall notify the Maine Department of Labor within 3 30 days of the date on which a bond worker begins work in the State and shall specify the name of the bond worker and the anticipated locations where the bond worker will be conducting work.
2-B. Violation. Upon conviction of a violation of subsection 2, an employer may not employ bond workers in this State for 2 years.
3. Equipment covered by federal prevailing wage exempt. This section does not apply to equipment for which the United States Department of Labor, Division of Foreign Labor Certification has established a prevailing wage under the federal Service Contract Act of 1965 for persons using that equipment.
4. Enforcement; rules. The Commissioner of Labor shall adopt rules to implement and enforce the provisions of this section, including rules regarding the receipt of documentation and the investigation and prosecution of employer proof of ownership of logging equipment. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are major substantive rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
5. Penalty; enforcement. An employer who violates subsection 2, 2-A or 2-B or the rules adopted pursuant to this section commits a civil violation for which a fine of not less than $10,000 and not more than $25,000 per violation may be adjudged.
In the event of a violation of the provisions of this section, the Attorney General may institute injunction proceedings in the Superior Court to enjoin further violation of this section.
6. Assistance. The Department of Conservation and the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Revenue Services shall provide interagency support and field information to assist the Department of Labor in enforcing this section.
Sec. 2. 26 MRSA §873, as corrected by RR 2009, c. 2, §§73 and 74, is amended to read:
§ 873. Recruitment for logging occupations
A. "Bond worker" has the same meaning as in section 872.
B. "Recruitment clearinghouse" or "clearinghouse" means a system operated by members of the forest products industry and described in subsection 3 and supported by the Maine Department of Labor.
2. Employer requirements; clearinghouse and reporting. An employer filing for certification with the United States Department of Labor to hire a bond worker in a logging occupation shall:
A. File a copy of all federal forms and reports relating to H2 visas with the Maine Department of Labor at the same time as the employer files the form or report with the United States Department of Labor; and
3. Clearinghouse requirements. The Maine Department of Labor shall assist members of the forest products industry in establishing the and maintaining a recruitment clearinghouse, which must may be financed and operated and directed by members of the forest products industry. The goal of the clearinghouse must is to provide a centralized, streamlined process for applicants in the forest products industry.
A. The clearinghouse must provide a staffed, toll-free telephone number to receive telephone inquiries for logging employment.
B. For each applicant who contacts the clearinghouse directly or who is referred to the clearinghouse by the Maine Department of Labor pursuant to subsection 4, the clearinghouse shall may gather any information necessary to assess the job applicant's qualifications for the job classification applied for, including but not limited to conducting a reference check. Following the assessment, the clearinghouse shall:
(2) Refer the applicant to a logging employer seeking workers in that job classification. To the extent practicable, the clearinghouse shall refer the applicant to the applicant's preferred geographic area of employment. Referral may be made to any employer with relevant job openings, regardless of whether the employer is seeking bond workers , if the applicant prefers such a referral.
4. Department role. The Maine Department of Labor shall:
A. Refer to the recruitment clearinghouse all applicants who meet minimum qualifications for employment with a logging employer. The referral must include information required of applicants who use the department's career center services;
E. Promote the clearinghouse as a means to match applicants with logging employers; and
F. Provide such other assistance to logging employers as may be appropriate.
5. Job offer; skills test. Upon referral of an applicant under subsection 3, a logging employer shall offer employment to that applicant.
A. An employment offer may be conditioned on a skills test, but only if the employer requires the skills test of all new applicants in that job classification who have similar levels of experience with respect to the models of equipment to be operated.
B. If a skills test under paragraph A is required, it must be conducted at the area of intended employment, at a central location designated by the recruitment clearinghouse in conjunction with the logging employer or at another location within reasonable distance from the applicant's residence or the employer's place of employment.
6. Contracts with landowners. A contract for harvesting wood between a logging employer and a landowner must may contain a provision that allows the landowner to terminate the contract if the logging employer violates this section or the applicable federal regulations regarding employment of bond workers.
7. Penalties. The Maine Department of Labor shall make good faith efforts to resolve alleged violations of this section or of the recruitment process. If such efforts are not successful, the following penalties apply.
A. Violation of this section is considered a violation of section 872 and is subject to the penalties as set forth in section 872, subsection 5.
8. Landowner contracts with employers. This subsection governs contracts between logging employers and landowners.
A. The Maine Department of Labor shall maintain an approved list of employers consisting of those employers filing for certification with the United States Department of Labor to hire a bond worker in a logging occupation that are members of and active participants in a recruitment clearinghouse that complies with subsections 2 and 3. The list must also contain any employer under investigation by the Maine Department of Labor for a violation of section 872, this section or federal regulations applicable to foreign labor. The department shall publish the list on the department's publicly accessible website and forward a copy of the list and subsequent updates to the recruitment clearinghouse. Each landowner or other person that wishes to be notified of a change in status of a contractor must file with the department a request to be notified and contact information for the notification.
B. The Maine Department of Labor, after notice and hearing, shall remove from the list of approved employers under paragraph A any employer filing for certification with the United States Department of Labor to hire a bond worker in a logging occupation that is found to have committed a material violation of section 872, this section or the applicable federal regulations.
C. A person may appeal the placement or removal of an employer on the approved list under paragraph A to the State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation. If the appeal relates to removal of the employer from the list, it must be made within 15 days of notice of removal to the employer. The board shall conduct an arbitration session pursuant to chapter 9, subchapter 2-A. Board proceedings under this section must be conducted in Augusta, unless the board determines that this location is impracticable in the specific circumstances. Notwithstanding section 931, the costs of arbitration under this section must be paid by a nonlapsing fund to be established by the department.
Sec. 3. 26 MRSA §874, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 637, §11, is repealed.
Sec. 4. 26 MRSA §1043, sub-§11, ¶F, as amended by PL 2009, c. 637, §12, is further amended to read:
(4-1) Services Agricultural labor, if performed by an individual who is an alien , other than a citizen of a contiguous country with which the United States has an agreement with respect to unemployment compensation, admitted to the United States to perform agricultural labor pursuant to the United States Immigration and Nationality Act, Sections 214(c) and 101(a) (15) (H);
This bill simplifies the process for employers in the logging industry who hire employees from another country who have been given permission to work in this country.