FEDERAL AGENCIES INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE EXPLOITATION OF WORKERS IN ALABAMA
The poultry industry has a large presence in Alabama and other Southern states, where it employs a large number of migrant workers. Migrants, just like all other workers, deserve to earn a decent wage for their hard work. However, that often does not turn out to be the case.
Recent reports indicate that multiple federal government agencies have been investigating working conditions in the poultry industry, including at Alabama chicken processing plants.
According to news reports, the U.S. Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Homeland Security began investigating Alabama’s poultry industry last year, finding evidence of working conditions they described as “exploitative.” The agencies have alleged that chicken processing plants and other businesses have hired underage migrant workers, paid them poorly, and made them work and live in subpar conditions. No charges have yet been filed.
EXPLOITATION IS ALL TOO COMMON
According to worker advocates, the types of exploitation cited in the reports are all too common. One typical scenario involves migrant workers who were promised all of the things that would give them a good life: money, health insurance, a decent place to live, but in many cases these promises turn out to be empty.
As rampant as exploitation of migrant workers is, it can be extremely difficult to obtain evidence that the exploitation is going on. Throughout the United States, a large number of migrants are Hispanic and there have been many instances in which minors who are not accompanied by adults were let out of government-run shelters and the government has no way of knowing where they are.
SOLID LEGAL ADVICE MAY MAKE ALL OF THE DIFFERENCE
If you have been a victim of exploitation, your rights need to be protected. The sound legal advice of a lawyer with expertise in matters of civil litigation could make a dramatic difference to your situation. A knowledgeable lawyer will prepare, research, and represent you through every step of the legal process so that you understand exactly what is happening and what to expect.
Solid legal counsel can really help you to turn things around and hopefully will produce positive results so that you get what you are entitled to and what you deserve.