Thread: NE: Co. sued for firing Americans and hiring illegals

Associated Press
Fired worker: Neb. plant hired illegal immigrants
By JEAN ORTIZ , 01.23.09, 05:50 PM EST
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A David City, Neb., egg processing plant is facing allegations from a former employee that it knowingly hired illegal immigrants and gave them preferential treatment.

The claims were made in a wrongful-termination lawsuit filed on behalf of Amy Schrader of Ulysses, who was fired from the Henningsen Foods plant in 2007.

Lincoln attorney Paul Boross filed the lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court, naming as defendants Henningsen Foods and its owner, Tokyo-based Q.P. Corp. (other-otc: QPCPY.PK - news - people )

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.

Schrader said the company said or implied she had missed or was late for work too often when she was fired.

But Schrader, who is white, alleges that Hispanic employees who were absent or late just as often or more and didn't lose their jobs.
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The lawsuit says 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.

Henningsen officials said they hadn't seen the lawsuit and could not comment.

Boross declined comment beyond the court filing.

Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Tim Counts said he knew of no investigations at the Henningsen plant in the past.

As in any case, ICE is unable to confirm or deny its involvement in ongoing investigations, he said.

Schrader, who worked at the plant from July 1998 to August 2007, also alleges the company was looking to cut costs and didn't want to pay her health care benefits.

She and her three children suffered health problems that caused her to miss or be late for a significant number of work days in 2006 and 2007, she said.

In the "overwhelming majority" of the instances, she provided doctors' notes for those absences, she said.

Schrader is seeking unspecified damages, including pay for lost wages and benefits. She has asked for a jury trial.

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/01/ ... 59481.html

If this is true put the bosses in jail, heavy fines.

Send in ICE and the IRS

I honestly think this is what American citizens need to do more of. We can't depend on our laws to protect us any longer so maybe civil courts can do it.

I know they did at the egg plant I worked in. They got paid more money per hour, but didn't have workmans comp. or insurance.....hiding under the veil of "sub-contractors".....one position after another going like that to make their bottom line look good and not guilty of illegal hiring practices because they weren't "officially" employees of the company.

As in any case, ICE is unable to confirm or deny its involvement in ongoing investigations, he said.

I suppose it's time to ask Obama about bringing some transparency to this outfit. Americans have a right to know if government is doing its' job. So far he's looking like Bush III.