The U.S. Department of Labor fined five California farm businesses — including four on the Central Coast — for underpaying migrant workers by more than $200,000, according to a news release.

The H-2A temporary agricultural workers program allows employers to bring workers from other countries to provide critical labor that supports the country’s agriculture — a $49 billion industry in California.

Investigations by the department’s Wage and Hour Division between April 2020 and February 2022 found that a Nipomo company, three Santa Maria farms and a San Martin farm failed to provide meals or kitchen facilities, safe transportation and pay inbound and outbound transportation and meal costs — all requirements of the program.

The division also found some farms shortchanged workers, failed to provide a contract to workers or did not abide by the terms of workers’ contracts.

“Employers that benefit from the H-2A guest worker program must be aware of all their responsibilities,” San Francisco Wage and Hour Regional Administrator Ruben Rosalez said in the release. “Agricultural workers employed under the H-2A program must be paid as their contracts require and be provided with what they need to live and work safely while contributing critical labor to California’s agriculture industry.”

Investigation: Nipomo farm business served spoiled food to workers

According to the Department of Labor, the investigations recovered a total of $225,114 in lost wages for 588 workers. The five...

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