Thread: La. Business Owners Sue Over New Rules for Guest Workers

La. Business Owners Sue Over New Rules for Guest Workers

NYTimes
By JULIA PRESTON
Published: September 11, 2011

EUNICE, La. — The workers have been in fine spirits this summer in the small plant where Dexter Guillory cuts up alligator meat to feed the growing demand from Southern restaurants for the swamp creatures’ steaks.

Mr. Guillory runs his family business in this Cajun country town with a mix of local employees and guest workers from Mexico, who come up each year on legal visas through a federal program known as H-2B. All the workers are paid by the pound of meat they carve in the well-chilled plant, and this year there have been plenty of alligators, so earnings have been good.

“I love this work because I cut more alligator, I make more money, that’s why,â€

"Guest Workers" = ILLEGAL ALIENS

Workers sue Eunice seafood facility over wages

Posted: Oct 4, 2012 11:54 AM by AP

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A federal lawsuit filed on behalf of two Mexican migrant workers alleges a crawfish and alligator processing facility in Eunice routinely paid the employees from $2 to $4 an hour for workdays that sometimes stretched for 15 hours.

The Advocate reports the lawsuit filed this week against Riceland Crawfish seeks unpaid wages for the two migrant workers and all employees with similar wage complaints over the past three years.

"Conservatively speaking, it involves more than 100 employees," said Chris Wilmes, an attorney working on the case for the Chicago firm of Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym.

The firm is involved in similar litigation filed last year on behalf of migrant workers against L.T. West, a crawfish processor in nearby Mamou.

In the Riceland case, the lawsuit alleges workers were generally paid based on the number of pounds of crawfish they peeled and that total pay averaged $2 to $4 an hour, far below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

The lawsuit also alleges workers were not paid overtime for workdays that could stretch from 10 hours to 15 hours per day for six days a week.

"These people were working extraordinary hours and not being paid a rate close to the minimum wage," Wilmes said.

Riceland owner Dexter Guillory told the newspaper Wednesday that he had just been served with the lawsuit and had yet to review the allegations in detail.

"As far as I know, I'm not guilty of anything," Guillory said.

Wilmes said it is too early to speculate on how much money could be at stake in the Riceland case, which was filed on behalf of workers Alondra Cejudo Rivas and Maria Sonia Cejudo Rivas.
Workers sue Eunice seafood facility over wages | KATC.com | Acadiana-Lafayette, Louisiana

So, don't come here; don't accept the job. Stay in glorious Meh-hick-oh.

Swamp People: How much does a gator sell for? 2011 alligator price chart for Season 3 Aligator prices are way down, and the hunters don't make that much. Gator hunting--now there is yet another dirty, dangerous job that Americans do.

Here is part of the article at the link below:

In the late 80’s, when alligator prices were at their peak, alligator hunters could sell a big gator with an excellent hide for over $40/foot. But, in 2010 (the second season of Swamp People), that same big, beautiful gator only sold for $15/foot. So, the same 10 foot gator would’ve brought in $400 in 1989 and only $150 in 2010. As Troy Landry has said many times, he’s not sure what he would’ve done if The History Channel hadn’t come along when they did.

Read more at Swamp People: How much does a gator sell for? 2011 alligator price chart for Season 3

Originally Posted by HAPPY2BME

"Guest Workers" = ILLEGAL ALIENS

According to the article these are legal workers with an H-2B Visa.

I'm assuming these workers agreed to the terms before they accepted the job and the H-2B Visa.