Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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PHILADELPHIA -- TThe U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has issued civil money penalties totaling $18,760 to Yong Ming Farms, Monroeville, N.J. for allowing migrant workers to live in dangerous housing conditions.

The investigation started after two farm workers were killed in a traffic accident in Gloucester Co., N.J. on Oct. 31, 2002. The requirements of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act did not apply to this traffic accident, but an investigation under the Occupational Safety and Health Act into the housing at the camp revealed serious problems.

"We were on the verge of citing the employer for imminent danger because of the appalling, dangerous and deplorable housing conditions at the temporary labor camp," said Corlis Sellers, regional administrator for the Wage and Hour Division's northeast region. "We convinced the employer to move the workers to a motel for the remainder of the season."

According to Sellers, workers were housed in abandoned trucks and other makeshift buildings. Some of the structures had no heat, hot water, sewage or drainage lines. The kitchen water supply came through a rubber hose from a large outside tank. Garbage, debris and sewage were strewn throughout the camp area.

"No human being should have to live in such squalor," Sellers said.

A total of 32 instances of conduct violating the Occupational Safety and Health Act were cited including the improper use of propane space heaters that posed an imminent danger to the workers. OSHA standards cover housing requirements for workers in temporary migrant labor camps.

De Ming Chen, Xue Yong Zheng, and Kuan Zheng of New York City operate Yong Ming Farms. The farm grew Chinese vegetables that were transported to restaurant suppliers in New York City. The employer has 15 working days to contest the citation and notification of penalty.

For information about the housing requirements applicable to migrant workers, call the Department of Labor's toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243). Information is also available on the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov .

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