Posted on 04/07/2007 7:28:53 AM PDT by flying Elvis
Judge Harold L. Murphy is expected to decide Monday if an emergency hearing is needed in the case
An emergency hearing has been requested to determine if Mohawk Industries tampered with potential witnesses in a federal lawsuit.
The Calhoun-based carpet manufacturer is accused of “widespread employment of illegal workers” in order to drive down wages and workers compensation claims at their Northwest Georgia plants.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Rome in 2004 by a group of employees.
Now, as the case comes closer to trial, one former employee and one current employee have stepped forward saying they have been subject to intimidation and threats aimed at stopping them from testifying in the case.
Presiding judge Harold L. Murphy is expected to decide Monday if an emergency hearing is needed to address the claims, according to court officials.
Norman Carpenter, the former shift supervisor, filed his own lawsuit against Mohawk last month. He claims he was fired to stop him from testifying. Carpenter alleges Nov 28, 2006, he sent an e-mail to Becky Hale, a Mohawk Human Resources (HR) official, reporting that 90 percent of Mohawk’s temporary workers were not authorized to work in the United States.
Eight days later Carpenter was fired for “immigration crimes,” a charge he denies.
Current Mohawk employee Christina Martinez claims HR officials and her direct supervisor told her she would be fired if she enquired about workers’ legal status or read articles about the cases. In a brief filed Friday she claims this intimidation of her and other workers continues.
“I now am sure that I will be terminated if I share my knowledge about the illegal aliens at Mohawk,” Martinez states in conclusion of her declaration to the court.
If Murphy orders a hearing, Martinez and Carpenter are likely to testify.
Representatives from Mohawk have declined to comment about the case.
Url to pdf of Norman Carpenter's lawsuit: http://www1.romenews-tribune.com/Files/Documents/Mohawk.pdf
Ping!
Union thug.
Screw em all. Hiring illegals is against the law.
What is the meaning of your comment?
Unions are not illegal. Hiring of illegal workers, witness tampering and harrassment is illegal. So, what’s your point?
Again, I see NO difference between the zealots on the immigration issue and leftists. They see a desired goal and will use ANYTHING (including the complete ruination of all freedoms) to get what they want. Expansion of federal power doesn't really matter to them.
We can help support these brave americans by boycotting Mohawk and other criminal employers.
We need diligent Freepers to keep us informed.
It is amazing how many major brands and big outfits are openly hiring illegals.
The highway construction near me(federal and state funds) is being built almost exclusively by central american workers..hard to believe they are legal. They drive the construction equipment in an abusive way. Looks like they hardly know how to drive them.
Untrue. Mohawk is accused of conspiring to break Federal immigration laws. That makes it a Federal case.
The RICO Statutes are perfectly appropriate in this case and I for one hope Mohawk loses and badly.
The management of that company is no different than any other criminal organization running white slaves across state and national borders in order to make a few bucks.
This is one 'chilling effect' I can get behind 100%.
L
We don't have the freedom to break the laws we disagree with. And as far as your remark on "union thugs", thuggery on either side is repugnant. Witness tampering is a serious offense to me.
Yes, let us all bow down and worship business. They can do no wrong. When they break immigration laws and try to intimidate law abiding American citizens into silence, must Americans bend over and take it? Your position is just as whacked out as those who think all corporations and management are inherently evil. And for the record, if the American citizens of North Georgia choose unionization, they will wake up one day and find no industry left in the region. If the carpet mills want to employ aliens, then they should move south of the border and be honest about it.
Just curious, have you been to Dalton, Georgia, lately?
I am for the lawsuit. Because if they will it will pretty well settle a lot of the illegal problems in this country. A few more lawsuits like this and no one would hire them, therefore ethey will go home.
Rug Rats.
They were not knowingly doing so. They hired a third party to find workers for them. All workers presented proper papers whom Mohawk or any other company is not allowed to question the said validity of those papers because then it is discrimination.
So basically these big companies are screwed by the law no matter what they do. You question the legality of the papers these people carry you are a racist and are trying to keep them from being employed and can be sued out the you know what. Or others can come in after the fact and say you hired illegals even though they had papers just so you did not have to pay others a higher wage. So you are responsible if you hire and illegal but you can not question his papers...go figure! Nice catch 22.
Take a good look at manufacturing in this country and why it has gone over seas. I guess carpet will just be next on the list to move out of America, even though they tried to stay.
The reason they do not know is they don’t want to know. They just want cheap labor. And scream about not being able to get workers. Well they can get works as many as they want if they are willing to pay for them.
They did none of this.
That’s great. I hope they didn’t. If they did, I hope they nail them.
Correct. I grew up in the region. It is all about cheap labor and companies looking the other way in order to secure it.
How do you know may I ask?
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