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Labor Law Findings at Agriprocessors

By immigrationprof

A comment from America’s Voice:

FOR BUSH ADMINISTRATION, IMMIGRATION VIOLATIONS TRUMP LABOR ABUSES

Iowa Labor Commissioner’s Investigation Uncovers Multiple Violations of Child Labor Laws at Agriprocessors Meatpacking Plant

(Washington, DC) – Yesterday, the Iowa Labor Commissioner’s Office announced completion of a seven-month investigation into child labor law violations at the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa.  The investigation uncovered fifty-seven individual cases of underage hiring, along with multiple other violations of labor laws at the plant.  A second phase of the state’s investigation is ongoing.  Following is a statement from Lynn Tramonte, Policy Director of America’s Voice:

“After several months of investigation, the Iowa Labor Commissioner’s Office has issued a scathing indictment of Agriprocessors’ treatment of its workforce.  Not only did the investigation uncover scores of violations of child labor laws, but the stories of wage theft and physical abuse that have emerged are chilling.  America’s Voice applauds the Commissioner for exposing this company’s illegal business practices, and urges him to continue his thorough review of labor law violations at the plant.  We also join him in calling on the state Attorney General’s Office to bring justice to the workers harmed by this unscrupulous company.

“The state’s actions are in sharp contrast to those of the federal government, which has ignored U.S. labor laws in favor of high profile immigration raids designed more for their public relations value than for their effective enforcement of the law.  Even before the immigration raid, Agriprocessors was notorious for its worker abuse, but the U.S. Department of Labor was missing in action.  Clearly the Bush Administration’s priority is winning big headlines that show it is getting tough on immigrant workers, not protecting the people who are putting food on our table.

“The tragedy of this situation is that it didn’t have to happen this way.  Agriprocessors didn’t have to exploit its workforce in order to turn a profit.  The Bush Administration didn’t have to prioritize the criminal prosecution of hard-working immigrants over the enforcement of labor laws to protect all workers.  The tiny town of Postville didn’t have to experience the instability, terror, and family separation created by the Bush enforcement strategy.  The U.S. Labor Department must step up to the plate and enforce labor laws against immoral companies like Agriprocessors, and Congress must enact common sense immigration reform so that all workers have a voice.”   

For more on undocumented worker exploitation, please read Thomas Frank’s column in the Wall Street Journal : http://online.wsj.com/article/fighting_words.html.

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