Texas company sued for abuse of Iowa workers

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: Houston Chronicle

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing a Texas company that employed 31 mentally disabled men at an Iowa turkey processor, claiming the company severely abused and discriminated against the men for more than 20 years.

The agency field the lawsuit against Hill Country Farms Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Davenport, Iowa.

The company also did business as Henry's Turkey Service, which provided the workers to West Liberty Foods. The lawsuit claims the Henry's Turkey Service denied the workers lawful wages, subjected them to verbal and physical harassment and required them to live in a dilapidated bunkhouse in Atalissa, Iowa, and denied them medical care.

Telephone messages left for company representatives were not immediately returned.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7509718.html

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Feds sue Texas company for alleged abuse of mentally disabled workers at Iowa turkey plant http://1.usa.gov/eqc3kZ
37 minutes ago

link is to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Press Release.

"Specifically, the complaint alleges that that the owners and staffers of Henry’s Turkey denied the workers lawful wages, paying them only $65 a month for full-time work; subjected them to abusive verbal and physical harassment; restricted their freedom of movement; and imposed other harsh terms and conditions of employment such as requiring them to live in deplorable and sub-standard living conditions, and failing to provide adequate medical care when needed.

Verbal abuses included frequently referring to the workers as “retarded”, “dumb ass” and “stupid”. Class members reported acts of physical abuse including hitting, kicking, at least one case of handcuffing, and forcing the disabled workers to carry heavy weights as punishment. The Henry’s Turkey supervisors, also the workers’ purported caretakers, were often dismissive of complaints of injuries or pain.

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended by the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA), which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability, including intellectual disabilities, in terms and conditions of employment and wages; and bars disability-based harassment. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to resolve the matter through conciliation."