Narrative: e. 4. A.

Contacting farmworkers and improving outreach: Outreach activities will be consistent with 20 CFR Part 653.107 and will serve to implement strategies aimed to identify, document, and track MSFWs as they access the full range of employment and training services within the one-stop centers. Historically, the SMA conducted the majority of the MSFW outreach to workers and agricultural employers. The SWA is transitioning to a collaborative model of outreach and coordination between dedicated outreach workers and the SMA requirements detailed in 20 CFR 653.108. Full time equivalent staff will be deployed to meet employer and farmworker needs during high peak agricultural activity and reduced to part-time on-demand capacity during low agricultural activity. Outreach will focus on locating and contacting farm workers not reached through normal intake activities including field visits, routine follow-up with agriculture employers and posting of public and other social media notices to community organizations and networks such as the Farmworker Resource Network partners about services available. The outreach efforts will implement compliance requirements in providing qualitative equivalent and quantitatively proportionate service delivery to MSFWs

The State Workforce Agency will coordinate MSFW outreach plans with the SMA and local employment service outreach workers serving the greater areas of agricultural activities relative to the crop’s peak season. For example, the Machias American Job Center, based in Washington County with proximity to the blueberry barrens, deploys ES staff to labor camps to provide information and employment assistance to migrant workers. Employment Service outreach workers and the SMA will contact MSFWs during the agricultural peak harvest season of blueberry, apple, and broccoli while conducting field visits in Androscoggin, Oxford, Washington, and Aroostook counties. These counties see the bulk of Maine’s MSFW population. Additional outreach may take place in other counties based on employer needs and the influx of workers into those areas, particularly those areas with H-2A local offices whose neighboring agricultural employers file H-2A job orders and may have referrals to those orders. For H2A, the local office outreach workers are encouraged to carry out active referrals until the employer’s H2A workers depart for the work site (at least two days before the employer’s set start date for work on the job order). During outreach and field visits worker rights and support services informational brochures in Spanish, English, and Haitian Creole are distributed. Information on agricultural employment and referral’s to services such as health, education, and legal, are made available to the workers and their families as needed. Table 4 shows the SWA outreach schedule for field visits during PY 2019-2020 and the number of MSFWs estimated to be contacted. These numbers are expected to remain stable over the next couple of years.

Table 24: Outreach Field Visit Schedule

The number of MSFWs to be contacted each year over the next four-year term is estimated at 445 workers. These contacts occur during outreach and field checks, including random unannounced visits to labor camps and work areas where MSFWs may be present. Outreach staff and the SMA look to identify issues that may include: apparent violations in working conditions, the proper display of mandatory/informational posters, wages, housing standards, water quality, and more. The number of worksites visited, locations and supervisor contact names are recorded. Field reports also record the time of the visit, observations made, available services discussed with MSFWs, number of MSFWs contacted, names of MSFWs requesting services, and follow-up arrangements established. A copy of the field report is filed at the administrative office of the Bureau of Employment Services.