US (FL): Labor Department uncovers violations in agricultural operations
David Weil, administrator for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, was in Tampa Wednesday to discuss a multi-year investigation that uncovered widespread labor law violations among agricultural businesses in Central Florida.
The enforcement initiative focused on hand-harvested crops — strawberries, citrus, tomatoes, blueberries and watermelons. The department did not release specifics on what violations individual cases involved.
During fiscal year 2014 the division’s Tampa office, by poring through payment records, recovered average back wages of $340 per worker for 387 workers connected to 155 agricultural investigations. The division assessed $196,000 in civil penalties.
Kenneth Parker, director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association based in Plant City, said he could not speak to any specific violations, but did note that his organization often sends mail-outs to area farm owners when seminars are coming up to address compliance topics.
The ongoing initiative will continue to send investigators in to the farm fields and packing houses to check for compliance with federal laws. Violations will be dealt with through the courts and through fines, officials said.
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