"Investigation recovers $45k in back wages from fruit company that denied dozens of agricultural workers full wages, transportation and housing,"

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Investigative findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the employer violated multiple requirements of the H-2A agricultural worker program by failing to do the following:

• Compensate 55 workers, 50 of whom came from Mexico, for all hours worked.
• Comply with the requirements of the agricultural job order.
• Pay the hourly adverse effect wage rates of $13.15 in 2021, $14.16 in 2022 and $14.91 in 2023.
• Comply with safety and health requirements for housing and transporting H-2A workers.
• Request a preoccupancy inspection of housing in a timely way.
• Comply with other applicable federal, state and local employment-related laws and regulations.

Back wages recovered:        $45,384

Civil money penalties:          $8,998

Workers affected:                  55, which includes 50 H-2A program workers and five other workers

Quote: “Our investigation found the Mt. Clifton Fruit Company denied dozens of agricultural workers, many of whom traveled to the U.S. at the company’s request, safe housing and transportation, and their legally earned wages,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Roberto Melendez in Richmond, Virginia. “In addition to recovering back wages, we assessed penalties for these deliberate violations.”...