Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SEATTLE -- The U.S. Department of Labor has assessed $10,000 in civil money penalties against Gloria Sanchez and Paulino Neponunceo for violations of migrant housing requirements under the federal Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA).

The couple provided housing in Othello, Wash., to hand harvest workers engaged in apple thinning and cherry picking in surrounding orchards.

The housing provided was not licensed by the Washington State Department of Health and did not meet housing safety and health standards set forth under the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines.

Among the conditions found were surface water and sewage collecting at the camp site due to inadequate drainage and contaminated water supplies. The camp was littered with debris and trailers were found to have holes in the floors, walls and ceilings, which did not protect against the elements. The trailers also had broken windows and lacked proper screens and screen doors. The State Department of Health shut the camp down on May 23, 2007.

“This case exemplifies the commitment of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division to protecting the safety and health of migrant workers in labor camps,” said Donna Hart, director of the division’s Seattle District Office.  “Violations of the housing standards can pose an imminent danger to these workers.”

The Wage and Hour Division worked in partnership with the Washington State Department of Health on this investigation.

The Wage and Hour Division enforces the MSPA, which protects migrant and seasonal agricultural workers by establishing employment standards related to wages, housing, transportation, disclosures and recordkeeping.

Information about the MSPA is available from the Department of Labor’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or by calling the Wage and Hour Division’s Seattle District Office at 206-398-8039. Information is also available on the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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