U.S. Department of Labor issued the following announcement on Nov. 25.
After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Empire Farm Labor Contractor – based in Salinas, California – has paid $38,260 in back wages to 79 employees for multiple violations found under the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa program and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA). The contractor also paid $18,413 in civil money penalties for the violations found in Imperial County, California, that occurred from December 2018 to May 2019.
WHD investigators found Empire Farm Labor Contractor rejected a qualified U.S. worker who applied for a job, in violation of the H-2A requirements. The employer also failed to pay H-2A workers' transportation expenses for travel from their home countries, and retained H-2A workers' passports and visas. Empire violated MSPA requirements by transporting farm workers without the appropriate licensing.
Original source can be found here.