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Worker Exploitation Suit Against Federal Contractor Terra Universal, Inc.
On August 31, the ACLU of Southern California and its coalition partners filed suit against Terra Universal, Inc., charging the multi-million dollar federal government contractor with violations of federal wage and hour laws for requiring employees to work long hours without overtime pay and systematically discriminating against Latino workers based on their race and immigration status.
Terra Universal routinely required its largely immigrant workforce – documented and undocumented alike – to work overtime hours without overtime pay. To evade government scrutiny, it created a fraudulent time system, requiring workers to clock out at the end of an 8-hour workshift and clock back in as a “second job.” Workers who complained about workplace issues or who suffered injuries were fired, had their pay deducted or their hours reduced and were verbally abused.
“Our employment laws provide everyone equal workplace rights regardless of what country you came from, how you got here and your immigration status,” said Jennie Pasquarella, ACLU/SC staff attorney. "A fair day's pay for a fair day's work is a basic American rule, with no exceptions."
Pictured: Hugo Alncantar, a six-year Terra Universal employee.
