Black agricultural workers continue Mississippi grower for preferable

On May 15, Texas Riogrande Legal Aid, Southern Migrant Legal Services (SMLS) and the Mississippi Center for Justice (MCJ) announced a joint lawsuit that was brought in the federal court on behalf of five black American farm workers. The lawsuit claims that Gregory Carr has discriminated against employees by favoring white foreign workers, which resulted in thousands of dollars in lost wages.

The lawsuit, submitted to the federal court in Greenville, Mississippi, that claims Carr’s abuse of the H-2A Visa program has his decision to not re-rent Michael Anthony Nash, Jimmy Shaw, Vinnie Cason, Grant Lewis and Charleston Taurvonta Harris, all residents of Mississippi, who previously worked for Carr as migrants or seasonal farms.

The suit also argues that Carr those employees and other black employees paid $ 10 per hour on his farm, while he paid more foreign employees, and he also classified the black American employees on his farm as independent contractors and did not make the required contributions and tax payments he had to make as an employer.

According to Kimberly Jones Merchant, the president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Justice, “The deliberate underpayment and wrong classification of black farm workers in favor of white foreign workers, not only federal law is contrary to federal law, but is increasingly prevented in the Mississipi Delta.”

As Jones noted, the suit marks the ninth case submitted by SMLS and MCJ and who challenges the discriminatory practices of farmers in the Mississippi Delta, the other eight cases were all resolved in the favor of local employees and resulted in a considerable wage recovery for local employees who argued that the abuse of the Visa program.

According to Marian Delaney van de SMLS, federal protection for American employees are only important if they are actually maintained.

“This case shows how the H-2A program can be manipulated to exclude and underpay black American employees. Federal protections are only useful if we enforce them and that is exactly what our customers demand through this lawsuit,” said Delaney.

In April 2024, a similar case was resolved by the arbitration of a judge that The case resolved About what was considered as mutual pleasant conditions.

According to Hannah Wolf, a lawyer who represented the 14 employees in that case, the SML’s would continue to pursue cases that led American employees to be replaced by foreign employees because of the intentional abuse of the H-2-program.

“The H-2A program requires that employers first try to recruit and hire local employees, but we continue to hear from American employees who report that they are being pushed out of their job and will be replaced by guest workers. We will continue to investigate those claims and take legal action when they are justified,” said Wolf.

Rob McDuff, one of the lawyers for MCJ added: “We hope that our legal efforts will make farmers in the Delta and in the US clear that they have to pay honest wages to local employees.”

Related content: Black agricultural workers Sue Sue Mississipppi Farm for paying white foreign employees more than black Americans