Chiquimula, Guatemala January 29, 2007
Global Workers went to Chiquimula to follow-up with the H-2B workers involved in the litigation against the Brickman Group, a Maryland based national landscaping company (see previous blog entries for more details). Interrogatories (written questions) were served upon the Guatemala clients in December. The Global Workers local partner coordinated with Friends of Farmworkers based in Pennsylvania to successfully complete the interrogatories. A small but important example of efficient transnational litigation through cross border collaboration.
In addition to the interrogatory follow-up, Global Workers wanted to investigate reports that some of the workers were marginalized by the local recruiter and the community for pushing for their rights in under the USA minimum wage laws. Although the situation is relatively calm, the local recruiter continues to take advantage of his position. This time it was reported that he “encouraged” all the workers on the list to go to the USA with the H-2 visa to donate Q400 (US$1=Q8) to the paving of the local road. Although the project is likely fully funded by the state, the workers “voluntarily” provided the local recruiter this money. To put this extortion in financial context, a farmer in that small mountain town where most of the recruits originate earns between Q12,000-17,000 a year selling corn and beans in the local market. With very minimal oversight by the Guatemalan and US governments, abuses like this around the H2 program are common place.