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Labor Department To Pursue Employers Abusing Worker-Visa Programs

Published: Friday, June 9, 2017 - 3:12pm
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The U.S. Department of Labor announced this week that it will aggressively pursue employers abusing workers and worker-visa programs after an Arizona farm was accused of housing its workers in “inhumane” living conditions

G Farms near El Mirage brought in workers through the H-2A temporary agricultural program and housed them in converted school buses and semi-truck trailers described as a “makeshift labor camp.” Daytime temperatures inside exceeded 100 degrees, according to the Department.

The Labor Department also raised concerns that the workers were not being paid the agreed minimum wage of $10.95 an hour for their work and, after an inspector visited the farm, workers were threatened with not being hired in the future if they spoke up.

Laura Gomez with The Arizona Republic has been covering this story and is here.

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