An Arkansas forestry company will have to pay $2.75 million in settlement for a lawsuit filed in 2006 by foreign field workers who argued the company owes them wages for their work.
Helped by attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center, locally based Legal Aid Justice Center, Farmworker Justice and attorneys from private firms, more than 2,200 farm workers will be paid for planting work by Superior Forestry Service, Inc., making this settlement one of the largest reached under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act.
The settlement also guarantees farm workers that Superior won’t cheat them out of their wages in the future. The company agreed to follow the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act.
According to a press release, farm workers represented in the lawsuit entered the United States legally under the H-2B visa program and were recruited by Superior from Mexico and Central America.
“This settlement is another milestone for guestworkers in this country,” said Legal Aid’s Tim Freilich. “Employers cannot exploit these workers with impunity. The workers have rights and they have a voice. This huge win shows the workers can defend their rights.”
A 2007 Southern Poverty Law Center report, "Close to Slavery," documents the abuses farm workers might experience while working in the H-2B program.
