Titan Farms, a South Carolina company that supplies fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables to major U.S. retailers, illegally deducted political contributions and cleaning fees from more than 1,300 seasonal foreign workers, according to federal officials.
Billed as the largest peach grower on the East Coast, Titan violated H-2A program rules by requesting workers make political contributions that brought their pay below the required $11.13 hour rate; and by charging workers a cleaning fee for employer-provided housing, the U.S. Department of Labor found.
Titan was required to pay $338,446 to 1,341 workers, with more than $200,000 distributed to about half of those affected. The agency is now trying to find the remaining 617 workers collectively owed $132,308, it stated.
“We are asking the public to assist us in locating those workers owed wages,” Jamie Benefiel, the DOL’s wage and hour division district Director in Columbia, South Carolina, said in a news release.
“Employers have a fundamental responsibility to ensure that all workers who come legally to the U.S. under the H-2A program are paid fairly,” Benefiel said. “Deductions from workers’ wages are forbidden unless they are explicitly included in the contract.”
“We are asking the public to assist us in locating those workers owed wages,” Benefiel added.
A major supplier of vegetables and peaches, the 6,200-acres operations in Ridge Springs, South Carolina, grows and ships its produce to nearly two dozen grocery chains nationwide, including Aldi, Costco, Kroger, Publix and Walmart.
Titan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“Titan Farms is proud to participate in the H-2A temporary seasonal worker program. East of the workers enters the United States with a passport and visa to work at Titan Farms,” according to the company’s website. “The farm is proud of each member of its workforce and realizes the impact these workers have on the overall success of Titan Farms.”
Titan was also fined $2,850 in civil penalties for violations including letting workers travel in unsafe vehicles.
Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York, where she covers business and consumer finance.
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