História
USA: Two labour contractors & a grower fined over wage theft, child labour & other violations in California's wine industry
The US Department of Labor announced penalties against two California labour contractors and one grower over labour violations among their migrant workforces. A government press release confirmed:
- Next Crop had been fined USD99,067 and investigations recovered USD36,764 in back wages for 150 employees, finding the company had illegally employed a 14 year old to work during school hours, illegally charged workers for transportation costs, did not disclosed conditions of work and failed to keep employer records or provide wage statements and due wages.
- Noble Vineyards Management was fined USD66,350 and an investigation recovered USD92,317 in back wages, finding wage violations, discriminatory wages for US workers, failure to provide work tools and failure to reimburse transport costs for migrant workers. The company is also accused of retaliating against migrants who asked about wages by terminating their contracts prematurely and sending them home.
- Next Crop supplied harvesting teams to Pebble Ridge Vineyards & Vine Estates, which was also found to have violated labour law by using an unlicensed, unauthorised and uninsured driver employed by Next Crop to transport workers. Pebble Ride was fined USD66,282 in penalties.