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Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA)
Overview
The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA) protects migrant and seasonal agricultural workers by establishing employment standards related to wages, housing, transportation, disclosures and recordkeeping. The MSPA also requires farm labor contractors to register with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). For more general information on the MSPA, please see the Employment Law Guide or Fact Sheet 49.
Farm Labor Contractor Registration
In order to legally operate as farm labor contractors, individuals and companies must register with the U.S. Department of Labor. There are special registration requirements for farm labor contractors that intend to house, transport, or drive a migrant or seasonal agricultural worker. Application materials and instructions can be found online.
MSPA Registered Farm Labor Contractor Listing
This list contains the name and physical address of all current certificate holders, as well as the expiration date and the certificate number generated by the Wage and Hour Division. The list also indicates if the contractor has been authorized to house workers, to use vehicles to transport workers, or to drive such vehicles.
MSPA Registered Farm Labor Contractor Listing
MSPA Registered Farm Labor Contractor Employee Listing
The list contains the name of all current certificate holders and the farm labor contractor whose name appears on each employee�s certificate, as well as the start date, expiration date, and the certificate number generated by the Wage and Hour Division. The list also indicates if the farm labor contractor employee has been authorized to drive vehicles used to transport migrant or seasonal agricultural workers.
MSPA Registered Farm Labor Contractor Employee Listing
MSPA Ineligible Contractors
DOL maintains a list of individuals or corporations whose authorization to operate as a farm labor contractor has been revoked. To determine whether a contractor has been declared ineligible by Wage Hour, please see the list of ineligible contractors.
General Guidance
- Employment Law Guide �Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act
- Cultivating Compliance: An Agricultural Guide to Federal Labor Law (English) (Spanish) (PDF)
- Cultivating Compliance: Your Next Steps as a Registered Farm Labor Contractor (FLC) (English) (Spanish) (PDF)
- Video: Cultivating Compliance - An Agricultural Guide to Federal Labor Law
- Workers� Rights Card � Farm Workers
- Spanish Version (PDF)
- Workers' Rights Card- Reforestation
- Spanish Version (PDF)
- Agricultural Employer�s Pocket Guide on Youth Employment
- Spanish Version (PDF)
Fact Sheets
- Fact Sheet 35 - Independent Contractors and Joint Employment under MSPA
- Fact Sheet 49 � MSPA
- Spanish Version (PDF)
- Fact Sheet 50 - MSPA Transportation
- Spanish Version (PDF)
- Fact Sheet #63: Application of Federal Labor Laws to Reforestation (PDF)
- Fact Sheet #63A: Application of Federal Labor Laws to Pine Straw (PDF)
- Fact Sheet #77C: Prohibiting Retaliation Under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (PDF)
Interpretive Guidance
- Administrator Interpretations Letters - Agriculture
- Advisory Memorandum 2006-1 � MSPA Vehicle Safety Standards
Posters
- MSPA Poster
Forms
- WH-501 � Wage Statement
- Spanish Version (PDF)
- WH-514 � MSPA Vehicle Inspection Report/ DOT Safety Standards
- WH-514a � MSPA Vehicle Inspection Report/ DOL Safety Standards
- WH-515 � Doctor's Certificate
- WH-516 � Terms & Conditions
- Spanish Version (PDF)
- Haitian Creole Version (PDF)
- WH-521a � Housing Terms & Conditions
- English/Spanish (PDF)
- WH-530 � FLC Registration Application
Applicable Laws and Regulations
- Law
- Regulations
- Federal Register
Civil Money Penalty Inflation Adjustments
Starting in 2016, agencies across the federal government must adjust their penalties for inflation each year. Below is a table that reflects the adjustments that have occurred for penalties under this statute. For more information on the penalty adjustments, go here.
| Type of Violation | Statutory Citation | CFR Citation | Maximum Civil Monetary Penalty before 1/13/2017 | Maximum Civil Monetary Penalty after 1/13/2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) A violation of the Act or any regulation under the Act. | 29 USC 1853(a)(1) | 29 CFR 500.1(e) | $2,355 | $2,394 |