Farm labor contractor fined for ‘squalid conditions’

Future Ag Management, a farm labor contractor in Soledad, Calif., will be fined over $168,000 for failing to provide farmworkers with appropriate housing conditions. The fine will be levied by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.

Inspectors found 22 FAM-employed farmworkers sharing one shower, one sink, and one refrigerator that was located outdoors. The director of the Wage and Hour Division described the overcrowded, insect-infested conditions as “inhumane.” The workers, who were hired in 2017 to harvest lettuce and cauliflower, were moved to temporary housing in a hotel.

Farm labor contractors have comprised a growing share of farm labor management in recent years. Working with contractors can provide a loophole for farm owners to avoid the liability, and hassle, of directly overseeing workers. If they provide housing, contractors are required by federal law to meet certain standards of livability.

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