BURLINGTON, Wash. — The U.S. Department of Labor has fined the Sakuma Brothers berry farm in Burlington for violating the labor provisions of the H-2A visa program.
The Department claims Sakuma Brothers showed preferential treatment to foreign workers over U.S. workers.
Sakuma Brothers Farms Inc. and the Washington State Farm Labor Association were fined nearly $125,000 in civil money penalties.
An additional $9,600 fine is for failing to pay back wages to an eligible U.S. worker who was not hired, charging U.S. workers for items it gave foreign workers for free and other infractions.
Since their investigation, the Department of Labor says the farm no longer takes part in the H-2A program.
