The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry’s Labor Standards Division revealed the investigation in a statement of interest on June 6 to the Department of Homeland Security.
The letter stated the agency is investigating potential wage and hour violations allegedly committed by HyLife, including unpaid wages in violation of the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act, the Minnesota Payment of Wages Act and related rules that happened at any time between May 8, 2021, to present.
The statement does not detail the allegations.
Also in the letter, DLI requested deferred action and employment authorization for workers employed at HyLife at any time during the investigative period.
This would mean that workers at the plant on H-2B visas, which are tied to employment at a specific business, could be eligible to stay and work at other businesses for up to two years.
MPR News confirmed the letter’s contents. When MPR News reached out to DLI for comment, an agency spokesperson replied, “DLI has no public data responsive to your request.”
Premium Iowa Pork finalized its purchase of the Windom plant earlier this week for $14 million. The plant closed June 2, and all of the plant’s 1,000 employees lost their jobs.
About 500 of the workers were on H-2B visas specifically tied to the Windom plant, and had 10 days to find other options or return to their home countries.
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