Texas Company to Pay Disabled Workers $1.37 Million

A federal judge ruled that a Texas company that supplied mentally disabled workers to an Iowa turkey plant at discriminatory wages must pay the workers $1.37 million in back pay.

The Associated Press (AP) reports 32 employees at Henry’s Turkey Service ended up receiving just $65 monthly to work in a processing line.  Henry’s unlawfully deducted charges for boarding, care, transportation, and other expenses from their pay and Social Security checks.  The workers were paid the same wage—41 cents an hour—during the 30 years they worked at the plant.

The amount to be paid is what they should have rightfully earned between February 2007 and February 2009, based on wage rates paid to similarly-situated and experienced workers.

The AP writes that the ruling was part of a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Hill Country Farms, which did business as Henry’s Turkey Service.  A trial is scheduled in March over claims of a hostile work environment and other allegations from the EEOC’s lawsuit.

The U.S. Department of Labor previously won a $1.76 million judgment against Henry's for violating wage and overtime laws, and the company was also slapped with a $1.2 million fine by Iowa’s department of workforce development for violating state labor laws.

The company had agreed to alter its wages in 2003 after a federal investigation but did not do so.

If you or a loved one has suffered a wage and hour violation, contact Sokolove Law today for a free consultation and to find out if you have grounds to pursue legal action.

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