US Labor Department finds contractor denied $83K in wages to farmworkers, some working 90 hours a week, to clean Gorge Amphitheater – US Department of Labor
Espinoza Contractor LLC furtherly assessed $61K for violating migrant worker’s rights
SEATTLE – A U.S. Division of Labor investigation that uncovered a farm labor contractor’s already pricey failures To shield migrant and seasonal agricultural staff took an sudden flip when investigators found The identical employer had denied 165 farm laborers Greater than $80,000 in further time wages for hours spent cleansing The favored Gorge Amphitheater.
Investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division found Espinoza Contractor LLC – owned by Guillermo Espinoza – violated the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Safety Act As quickly as they Did not pay 49 staff their wages when due, Did not disclose working circumstances to the migrant staff in writing and Didn’t doc transportation costs deducted from staff’ pay precisely. Espinoza furtherly transported staff with out authorization and failed To Guarantee drivers who transported staff had required docs. The employer furtherly Didn’t register as farm labor contractor or register The staff as required.
An factor of the division’s nationwide enforcement and outrevery initiative To shield agricultural staff’ rights, the investigation led the division To evaluate Espinoza $61,896 in civil penalties.
All by way of its investigation, the division found Espinoza Contractor LLC was beneath contract To current farm laborers To wash the Gorge Amphitheater in George. Investigators decided that the employer Did not pay 165 staff, some who worked As a lot as 90 hours every week, further time costs for hours over 40 in a workweek, a Truthful Labor Requirements Act violation.
The investigation into …….
Source: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20220617-0