News

Wage calculation for H-2B program revised
The U.S. Labor Department is changing the methodology for paying H-2B workers starting in 2012.

The H-2B program is limited by law to a program cap of 66,000 visas per year.

The wage methodology in the final rule achieves the department’s goal of more fully protecting the job opportunities and wages of U.S. workers. The new wage rates will apply to wages paid for work performed on or after Jan. 1, 2012.

The final rule requires employers to pay H-2B and U.S. workers recruited in connection with an H-2B job application a wage that meets or exceeds the highest of the following: The prevailing wage, the federal minimum wage, the state minimum wage or the local minimum wage.

Positive economic news trickles in
Existing-home sales saw a major jump in December, when sales increased for the fifth time in the past six months, reported the National Association of Realtors. Existing-home sales, which includes single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, rose 12.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.28 million in December from 4.7 million in November.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index  was 60.6 in January, up from 53.3 in December.

Feds propose hours of service change
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a regulatory proposal that would revise the Hours of Service (HOS) requirements for commercial truck drivers.

The proposal would require commercial truck drivers to complete all driving within a 14-hour workday, and to complete all on-duty work-related activities within 13 hours to allow for at least a one-hour break.

It also leaves open for comment whether drivers should be limited to 10 or 11 hours of daily driving time. The FMCSA said it favors a 10-hour limit. Need more info? It’s here: www.fmcsa.dot.gov/HOS.


Light brown apple moth detected in Oregon
The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) has confirmed a single detection of light brown apple moth, marking the first time it has been found in the state.

However, ODA officials emphasize there is no evidence that a breeding population of the moth exists in Oregon, and that the insect most likely came in with imported nursery stock. The single moth was found in a trap last summer located in a Polk County nursery.


Asian scientist makes trees glow
It’s not the work of science fiction. The golden glow of street lights could soon be replaced by the green fluorescence of tree leaves, according to Discovery News.

Scientists have implanted glowing, sea urchin-shaped gold nanoparticles, known as bio light emitting diodes, inside the leaves of a plant. The gold, sea urchin shaped nanoparticles are the key to turning a material that normally absorbs light into one that emits it.