An investigation of US cotton gins has identified 81% of the 71 cotton gin employers that were investigated between November 2019 and March 2021, violated labour laws within the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA), or the provisions within the H-2A visa program.

“Our investigations show that far too many cotton gin operators are not compliant with federal labor law,” explained Wage and Hour Division Regional Administrator Juan Coria in Atlanta.

The investigation focused on the Southeast region of the US, which is home to some of the country’s largest cotton producers and found three main cotton gin employer violations:

• Failure to pay proper overtime and maintain accurate records as required by the FLSA.
• Failure to disclose actual terms and conditions and provide wage statements to workers.
• Failure to ensure housing safety and health and provide terms and conditions of occupancy as required by MSPA and the H-2A visa program.

The investigation has led to the recovery of US$282,626 in back wages as well as $10,785 in liquidated damages for 620 workers. Plus, the division assessed $152,539 in civil money penalties to 37 employers.

The cotton gins named as breaking labour laws by the US Department of Labor

The US Department of Labor revealed the names of six of the cotton gin employers where recoveries were made in an official statement.

City	State	Wages/Penalties
Courtland	Alabama	$48,918
Climax	Georgia	...

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