Opinion ID: 658534
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the jamaican loan arrangement

Text: 21 While the H-2A regulations require employers to reimburse migrant farmworkers for their inbound travel upon completion of half of their work period, and New York growers promise all workers reimbursement for their inbound travel costs fifteen days into the harvest, farmworkers still face the significant hardship of having to bear transportation costs until receiving reimbursement by the employer. Since 1977, a complex loan arrangement among East Coast apple growers, the West Indies Central Labour Organization (WICLO), the National Commercial Bank of Jamaica (Bank), and the Florida East Coast Travel Service, Inc. (FLECTS), has enabled Jamaican farmworkers to pay for their inbound journey from Kingston, Jamaica to New York apple orchards for employment. See generally Affidavit of Joseph P. Russo, President of Pat Russo & Son, Inc. and Executive Vice President of the Valley Growers Cooperative, Inc., reprinted in J.A. at 270; Affidavit of Craig T. Titterud, Executive Director and General Manager of FLECTS, reprinted in J.A. at 313. 22 New York apple growers file applications for the employment of temporary H-2A workers with the DOL in anticipation of labor shortages for the upcoming season. A growers' cooperative prepares a master list of pre-screened Jamaican workers whom the growers wish to employ, and sends this list to WICLO, the Jamaican government's agent in matters concerning the employment of Jamaican H-2A workers, and to FLECTS, the growers' travel coordinator. If the DOL determines that there is indeed a labor shortage, that the employer has engaged in sufficient recruitment efforts, and that the importation of alien labor will not adversely affect U.S. workers, it will certify the applications for sufficient foreign workers to fill the employer's labor needs. These applications are sent to the INS for approval of temporary [304 U.S.App.D.C. 148] entry and work permits. Once approved, the INS in Miami informs FLECTS, which, in turn alerts the Jamaican Ministry of Labour, and arranges for transportation with Air Jamaica and Greyhound. 23 The Ministry of Labour notifies the workers to report at the final processing center in Kingston, Jamaica where the workers have the option of executing a promissory note with the Bank in order to receive a loan in the amount of travel costs and subsistence expenses for their northbound journey. Prior to departure from Kingston, the Bank collects from each worker the interest it charges on his loan. In addition, the worker executes an assignment authorizing the employer to remit the reimbursement for travel and subsistence costs directly to the Bank in order to repay the worker's loan exclusive of interest. Until 1990, FLECTS also was empowered to execute on the employers' behalf a tripartite agreement among the worker, the Jamaican government, and the employer. Since then, however, the growers have abandoned the use of the tripartite agreement in favor of three separate agreements: one between the worker and the Jamaican government, another between the worker and the grower, and a third between the growers' cooperative and WICLO. FLECTS prepares a manifest indicating each worker's name, identification number, employer, and travel information. FLECTS provides one copy of this manifest to the Jamaican government in lieu of departure cards, and presents another copy to the Bank together with an invoice for airfare, busfare, and subsistence. The workers then board the planes to Miami where they receive a subsistence allowance and board northbound buses. 24 The Bank issues a check to FLECTS to cover the travel costs. Fifteen days into the harvest, the growers remit each worker's travel reimbursement directly to the Bank which applies the money to the worker's outstanding loan. Finally, FLECTS pays the carriers thirty days after the carriers provided travel services to the workers. The agreement between FLECTS and the growers expressly requires FLECTS to [a]ssure that all costs of transportation, subsistence, and any other expenses associated with in-bound movement of West Indian workers be paid for by the West Indian workers and not, under any circumstances, by the [apple growers], any West Indian Government, or [FLECTS], either directly or indirectly. West Indian Worker Transportation Agreement and Power of Attorney (Agency Agreement), at p. 2 p 2(e), reprinted in J.A. at 332, 333. See Affidavit of Craig T. Titterud, at p. 7 p 14 (J.A. 319). 25