U.S. Delays Wage Rule At Seafood Processing Plants

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Barbara Mikulski says the Department of Labor will delay implementation of visa changes that will increase wages for migrant workers at seafood processing plants.

Mikulski said in a statement Thursday that regulations for H-2B visa workers, set to take effect Oct. 1, have been delayed until Nov. 30. The department will issue a notice in the Federal Register next week.

The Democratic senator said the wage rule would have raised the hourly wages of temporary foreign workers here on H-2B visas, leading to the loss of 1,000 jobs in Maryland's seafood industry.

She vowed to continue fighting for a long-term solution to the issue.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)