Farmworkers awarded $2.2 million settlement over workforce mistreatment

Thousands of H-2A farmworkers that are working under California and Arizona contracts will be receiving compensation as part of a $2.2 Million settlement with large corporations like Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc., Taylor Farms California, Inc., and Foothills Packing, Inc., one of the largest farm labor contractors in the western United States.

Dozens of farmworkers that were named in the settlement claimed they were cheated out of their wages, required to travel in the employer’s vehicles for several hours a day without pay, and required to do preparatory work before harvesting lettuce without being paid for the time frame.

According to a press release sent by Farm Workers Unit at Community Legal Services, Amanda Caldwell the Managing Attorney said, “The workers stated in the complaint allegedly for all of their wages, that included time waited at the fields, they weren’t getting paid for travel time under California law, and they alleged they didn’t receive their whole break time.”

Stay tuned with News11 as we gather more information.