Thread: NE-Former Neb. plant employee alleges illegal hiring

Former Neb. plant employee alleges illegal hiring
By JEAN ORTIZ , 05.20.09, 05:53 PM EDT



Another former employee of a David City egg processing plant has filed a lawsuit accusing the company of hiring illegal immigrants and letting other workers go to save money.

The accusations made by Diane Morbach of Bellwood are detailed in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday by Lincoln attorney Paul Boross.

Morbach, who is white, says Henningsen Foods and its Tokyo-based owner, Q.P. Corp. ( QPCPY.PK - news - people ), discriminated against her by terminating her job in September 2007 without good reason. She said she was told it was for "the convenience of the company."

She had worked at the plant for about five years, according to her lawsuit.

Morbach also alleges that plant management helped at least one person believed to be an illegal immigrant escape when authorities visited the David City plant.

A Ulysses woman sued the companies in January making similar allegations.

Phone messages left for an Omaha attorney representing both Henningsen and Q.P. in the original lawsuit and with a representative of Henningsen Foods were not immediately returned Wednesday.

Henningsen is an Omaha-based food supplier specializing in egg products and dehydrated meat and poultry products. It has plants in David City, Ravenna and Norfolk.

In recent years, the company has said about 130 people work at the David City plant.

Amy Schrader of Ulysses sued Henningsen and Q.P. earlier this year. She said she was fired in 2007 after the company said or implied she missed too much work.

She alleged the company was looking to cut costs and didn't want to pay her health benefits.

Both Schrader and Morbach have alleged non-management employees recruited people who were in the country illegally to work at the plant, and that the company was aware that Hispanic employees who weren't authorized to work were using false identification.

Morbach is seeking unspecified damages for lost wages and benefits.

Both lawsuits are pending, and Boross represents both women.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/05/ ... 48856.html

Maybe this will bring out more people to go after employers.

The Governor of Nebraska tried to shut down all the illegals, but he got 'a phone call' and had to cave in on them. Governors are crucial in the fight against illegals, and hard to place without lots of cash.

Again the reason we have the problem with ILLEGALS is because of our inept government and we do not need more government incompetence to intrude on the every day Citizen’s life. The answer is to Secure Our National Borders, the source of the ILLEGALS, and Enforce Our Immigration Laws (Heavy Fines and Felony Jail Time for ILLEGAL EMPLOYERS), the draw for the ILLEGALS; these are laws already on the books that NEED to be enforced.