Washington orchard owners sued for stiffing their workers ordered to pay $500,000 in wages
The owners of two orchards in central Washington who state officials contend stiffed more than 400 farmworkers have agreed to pay $500,000 in back wages and interest.
The half-a-million dollar payout settles a yearslong lawsuit that Washington's attorney general's office brought against Rene and Carmen Garcia. Together, the Garcia couple owns G&G Orchards Inc. and RC Orchards LLC in Yakima, a city located about 60 miles southeast of Mount Rainier.
“Farmworkers do backbreaking work, and they deserve to be paid every dollar they earn,” said Attorney General Bob Ferguson in a written statement. “We will continue to stand up for farmworkers, and fight to ensure that all workers are paid every dollar they are owed, including interest on the wages they were denied.”
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Paste BN could not immediately reach the Garcias for comment.
Situated in the Yakima Valley, the city and the surrounding Yakima County are part of a thriving agricultural region noted for its production of apples, wine, and hops.
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries began investigating the Garcias' businesses in 2021, finding that the orchards' workers had not received fair earnings for the crops of fruit they had harvested.
Under the employment contract, the farm owners owed workers either the piece rate for fruit harvested or an hourly rate – whichever was higher. Workers were also owed for time they spent on the job site waiting for machines to be repaired.
Ferguson's office filed a lawsuit that same year in Yakima County Superior Court after the Garcias "rebuffed extensive efforts to reach a settlement," according to a Wednesday news release.
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Garcia farmworkers received $240,000 in prior claim
Under the new settlement reached in spring, the Garcias are required to inform their other employees about the payment and must refrain from intimidating or retaliating against any current or former employees, according to the news release.
It's not the first time the two orchards had come under scrutiny for their owners' labor practices.
In 2020, the Garcias reached a settlement in a separate lawsuit filed by the Seattle-based Northwest Justice Project. The advocacy organization filed for back wages on behalf of seven temporary workers who eventually received $240,000 in wages and damages from the Garcias.
“It is important to hold employers accountable for paying workers what they are owed,” said Labor & Industries Director Joel Sacks in a statement. “Employers make a commitment to pay for a worker's time and labor, and this payment reflects a lot of hard work to make sure that promise was kept.”
Other requirements of the settlement include that the Garcias:
◾ Provide a detailed payroll report from 2022, as well as time sheets for its employees who drive buses or pack and harvest the fruit. The Garcias have already sent these to Labor & Industries, according to the agency, which is reviewing the records to determine whether those workers are owed any additional back wages.
◾ Conduct self-audits submitted to Labor & Industries every six months through 2024 that are prepared by a third party;
◾ Change record-keeping practices so documents better reflect all hours worked by employees.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for Paste BN. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @EricLagatta.