“Moldy motel rooms, unlicensed drivers: Farm banned from H-2A program after labor violations”

Harvest Plus LLC is paying more than $250,000 in fines after the Department of Labor said the company illegally withheld wages and transported temporary farmworkers in “dilapidated” vehicles…

The farm labor contractor, based in Kennewick, Washington, allegedly withheld H-2A workers’ wages, made illegal pay deductions, forced them to live in unhealthy living conditions and transported the workers in “unsafe” vehicles driven by people without licenses or permits — among other labor violations…

Harvest Plus housed workers in moldy motel rooms that were also overcrowded, according to the Wage and Hour Division…

The contractor also failed to reimburse workers for transportation between their home country and the state, among other violations, DOL said.

By banning Harvest Plus LLC from the program, Silva said, the DOL “has sent a clear signal” that it will not let “such egregious actions” slide.