A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction to block a Biden Administration rule that would have allowed foreign agriculture workers to join labor unions.
The U.S. Department of Labor rule would allow workers with H-2A visas to join unions for protection against wage theft, workplace abuse and human trafficking.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said American agricultural workers are prohibited from unionizing, and the rule was giving rights to foreign workers that American workers don’t have. Kobach led a coalition of 22 states, including Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa in filing a lawsuit challenging the rule.
The judge said the plaintiffs would likely win their lawsuit because the Labor Department cannot create new worker protections without Congressional approval.