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Suit says Maine blueberry industry exploited labor
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Suit-says-Maine-blueberry-industry-exploited-labor-5604557.phpPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal lawsuit claims a farm labor recruiter, two employers and multiple housing providers committed more than 250 violations of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act during the 2008 Maine blueberry harvest.
The Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/1mBk1u5 ) reports Monday that Pine Tree Legal Assistance filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court on behalf of 18 workers. The lawsuit says the workers were recruited in Maine based on false promises of good wages. It also says the transportation and housing provided to the workers did not meet federal requirements.
An attorney for Coastal Blueberry Service Inc. of Ellsworth and Hancock Foods of Hancock says the companies "firmly deny having engaged in violations."
The 18 workers are all U.S. citizens born in Haiti or Haitians who are legal permanent residents.
