“Lawsuit: Iowa trucking companies exploited South African workers for cheap labor”

Two Iowa trucking companies are being sued … for allegedly obtaining cheap labor from South Africa through the use of a fictitious cattle-feeding operation.

The lawsuit was filed … by the national nonprofit organization Farmworker Justice and by Iowa Legal Aid. Named as defendants are Kuchenbecker Excavating and H & S Farms-Livestock, their owners, and a Tennessee worker-placement company, Golden Opportunities International…

…Carel Hanekom of South Africa was admitted to the United States under the federal government’s H-2A temporary foreign-worker visa program…

Instead of employing Hanekom as an agricultural worker…the defendants allegedy put Hanekom to work as a long-haul truck driver…

…Robinson allegedly promised Hanekom 75 hours of work per week on a farm hauling grain, chicken manure and other agricultural commodities…

…His hourly wages were allegedly well below the prevailing wage for non-agricultural heavy truck driving…

The Iowa defendants, who have yet to file a response to the allegations, could not be reached for comment.

…program director at Golden Opportunities International, declined to comment on the case other than to say the company last provided services for the two Iowa companies in August of this year.