Finds Eleva employer misled investigators, failed to pay wages
MADISON, WI – Five years after leaving their Guatemalan and Mexican homes for jobs promised by owners of two Wisconsin forestry companies and discovering they would not receive the wages, benefits and types of jobs described in their contracts, 263 workers will finally receive $1.1 million in unpaid wages after extensive federal investigations.
The lengthy resolution began with a U.S. Department of Labor review of H-2B Visa program certification contracts from 2016 to 2018 held by Northwoods Forestry Inc. and A&C Forestry Services LLC, both located in Eleva. The department’s Wage and Hour Division identified several violations of H-2B Visa program requirements, including improper job classification and employment outside the area of intended employment.
While the employers sought and contracted the H-2B forestry workers for jobs in Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Wisconsin, investigators learned they illegally placed the workers in non-forestry occupations in the Eau Claire and Abbotsford areas. The occupations included meat processing, concrete finishing, painting, roofing and landscaping. Northwoods and A&C also failed to pay the prevailing wage rates and overtime disclosed on the job order and made illegal deductions for transportation and safety expenses.
The employers paid most workers straight time for all hours worked at rates between $12 and $14 per hour, well below the required prevailing...
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