Winery Operations & Growth Insights

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DOL’s August H‑2A Wage Update: What Vineyard Owners Must Do Before Harvest
Compliance 8 min

DOL’s August H‑2A Wage Update: What Vineyard Owners Must Do Before Harvest

The DOL’s Aug. 3, 2026 AEWR update changes the hourly wage floors and surety-bond calculations for H‑2A workers. This post will translate the change into immediate operational tasks: how to update job orders and payroll, reforecast labor costs and KPIs (cost-per-ton, labor-hours-per-ton), run harvest staffing scenarios, and implement short-term contingencies (shift rules, mechanization, alternate hiring) to avoid bottlenecks and margin erosion.

Juan Cabrera
Founder of SoftWorks Global & Business Systems Researcher