ATLANTA – While the cotton gin has greatly increased the speed of crop production since its invention more than three centuries ago, the U.S. Department of Labor has found 8 out of 10 cotton gin employers it investigated in the Southeast region violated the Fair Labor Standards Act, Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, or provisions of the H-2A visa program.
The department’s Wage and Hour Division identified violations in 81 percent of the 71 cotton gin investigations completed between November 2019 and March 2021 in the Southeast, home to some of the largest cotton producers in the nation. These investigations led the department to recover $282,626 in back wages and $10,785 in liquidated damages for 620 workers. The division also assessed $152,539 in civil money penalties to 37 employers.
The most common violations cited include:
Among the employers and recoveries made by the division are the following:
| Employer | City | State | Wages/Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courtland | Alabama | $48,918 | |
| Sowega Cotton Gin and Warehouse | Climax | Georgia | $12,795 |
| Hi Grade Farm Supply | Winona | Mississippi | $26,202 |
| Gates Cotton Gin Inc. | Gates | North Carolina ... |
Conspiracy theories around Artemis II have spread online after the crew returned safely from its lunar mission, with fake NASA claims and old Apollo 11 hoax stories gaining traction on social medi...