Farmworker Advocates Want Criminal Investigation

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Advocates for farmworkers are asking the state to launch a criminal investigation into whether a business group influenced answers to a survey of wages and working conditions.

The farmworker advocates are asking state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and the Employment Security Department to investigate the actions of the Lacey-based Washington Farm Labor Association regarding the survey.

The voluntary survey asked growers how and how much they pay workers for different tasks and different crops, such as hourly wages for pruning and piece-rate pay for harvest. The data is used by the U.S. Department of Labor to set wage rates for employment contracts, such as those for guest workers, or foreign nationals brought to work temporarily through a federal program.

The state released a report in December that showed distinct differences from survey results of previous years.