Posted on 06/14/2006 12:32:20 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
A lawsuit has been filed in U.S. District Court here by three migrant farmworkers from Thailand against two local growers and a Los Angeles-based labor contractor, alleging that the workers were underpaid and housed in substandard conditions.
In the suit filed on Monday, some of the workers said they were forced to go into personal debt in order to get a job in the United States. They said they were promised work that didn't materialize.
A number of alleged violations of state and federal law were outlined in the suit. It seeks class action status for all Thai workers brought to the Yakima Valley in 2004 and Hawaii in 2004-2005 to harvest fruit under the federal H-2A guest-worker program.
The suit was filed by lawyers for Ratthapon Yapunya, Somkhit Nasee and Wisit Kampilo. The trio was hired to work at Valley Fruit Orchards of Wapato and Green Acre Farms of Harrah in 2004 and 2005.
Both growers used the services of Global Horizons Manpower of Los Angeles. The company and its president, Mordechai Orian, were also named.
There were about 170 Thai workers in the Yakima Valley in 2004 and about 90 in 2005.
Calls by the Yakima Herald-Republic to Orian, John Verbrugge of Valley Fruit and Kevin Boyle of Green Acre Farms were not returned.
All three companies are facing a different suit filed last summer by local Hispanic workers, who allege they were illegally and intentionally displaced with workers from Thailand.
In 2005, the state revoked Global Horizons' farm-labor contractor license for failing to comply with a settlement agreement reached after various violations of state wage, insurance and safe-housing laws. The company has said it would appeal that decision.
In May, the U.S. Department of Labor ordered Global Horizons to pay nearly $300,000 in fines and back wages for allegedly deceiving and underpaying 88 Thai workers hired to harvest onions and pineapples in Hawaii.
Monday's suit states that Global Horizons authorized one of its agents in Thailand, a company called AACO International Recruiting Ltd., to find workers for the H-2A jobs. H-2A is the name of the temporary visa given to workers after employers have shown they cannot find U.S. workers for the job.
In 2004, the U.S. Department of Labor certified 131 foreign workers for Green Acre Farms and 62 for Valley Fruit.
At the time of their recruitment and actual hire, the Thai workers said they were misled about wages and work periods.
According to the suit, the workers incurred costs ranging from $10,000 to $17,000 in various fees and travel expenses in order to obtain the jobs. They went into debt if they didn't have the money, the suit said.
ping
All three companies are facing a different suit filed last summer by local Hispanic workers, who allege they were illegally and intentionally displaced with workers from Thailand. ...So, what Bush and McKennedy and Hegel have in plan for us has a precedent. A scam plan whereby if they show to some rubber-stamp bureaucrat they can't get anyone, supposedly, at minimum wage, which they promise to pay but won't, they get mucho visas. Don't like the rules of supply and demand? Change them.H-2A is the name of the temporary visa given to workers after employers have shown they cannot find U.S. workers for the job.
But what Bush has in plan is so much bigger I fear.
If true take all their personal assets and put them under the jail.
Bush has no concern for American workers, he has made that quite clear. He knows the worker "replacement" will never affect the elite class, so the rest of us don't matter we're nothing to him.
They will prevail too....
A class based solely on country of origin and not on damages to the members of that class? Will that fly?
"Can't say I have much sympathy for a temp hire agency."
This particular guy has had his operations shut down in several other states. He has been accused of skimming money from his workers.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.