Arkansas Company to Pay $1.5 Million to Guestworkers Owed Back Wages in 澳彩开奖 Lawsuit
More than 1,500 guestworkers owed back wages by an Arkansas agricultural company will be paid a total of $1.5 million in a settlement with the 澳彩开奖 鈥� one of the largest agreements ever reached against a single employer of foreign guestworkers.
More than 1,500 guestworkers owed back wages by an Arkansas agricultural company will be paid a total of $1.5 million in a settlement with the 澳彩开奖 鈥� one of the largest agreements ever reached against a single employer of foreign guestworkers.
Candy Brand, one of the Southeast鈥檚 largest employers of guestworkers, agreed to the settlement more than four years after the 澳彩开奖 brought a federal lawsuit against the company on the workers鈥� behalf.
鈥淭his settlement sends an important message that guestworkers have rights,鈥� said Jim Knoepp, the lead 澳彩开奖 attorney on the case. 鈥淐ompanies treating guestworkers as disposable labor should take notice. They will be held accountable.鈥�
The guestworkers harvested and packed tomatoes for Candy Brand in Bradley County, Ark., from 2003 to 2007. The 2007 lawsuit alleged that the company failed to pay its guestworkers federally mandated minimum wages and failed to pay overtime wages for work in its packing sheds.
To cover travel expenses and applications for visas under the federal H-2A guestworker program, Candy Brand鈥檚 workers paid up to $500 simply to work for the company during eight-week harvests. The 澳彩开奖 lawsuit alleged the company refused to reimburse workers for the travel, visa and other fees they paid to obtain the jobs 鈥� a problem commonly faced by guestworkers.
The settlement comes after a May 20 federal court order that found the company鈥檚 failure to pay overtime wages and reimburse expenses was a clear breach of the workers鈥� contracts. The class action lawsuit, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, El Dorado Division.
