Posted on Thu, Jun. 30, 2005
State senator pushes reforms to stop abuse of farmworkers
As mounting civil lawsuits and criminal charges are filed alleging exploitation of farmworkers in North Florida, a state senator said it's time to change the way the industry does business.
BY RONNIE GREENE
rgreene@herald.com
In North Florida, where the farm fields are often tainted with abuse, a state senator is pushing a series of reforms that could shake the quiet nook of agriculture country and reshape the treatment of workers who harvest its crops.
The push -- which faces an uncertain road in the Legislature -- comes at a time of unprecedented scrutiny into the treatment of workers who toil in rural hubs south of Jacksonville and 40 long minutes from the bustle of Interstate 95.Earlier this month, federal agents raided an East Palatka housing camp, and criminal charges were brought against the labor boss in an ongoing inquiry into alleged abuse of workers and the environment.
Last week, a federal lawsuit was filed in Jacksonville against another labor boss by four laborers who say they were threatened, beaten, forced to pay kickbacks and housed in hovels. Other suits have targeted abuses by other nearby bosses and growers.
''I want to see if we can move toward some true reforms in the industry, so we can do away with these series of embarrassments in the state of Florida,'' said Sen. Anthony ''Tony'' Hill Sr., a Democrat representing parts of St. Johns, Putnam, Duval and other counties.
(snip)
He wants to move away from the squalid labor camps that have become synonymous with abuse and to replace them with affordable co-op housing. 'It just has a negative connotation when you say, `Labor camp,' '' he said. ``It has gotten to the point where we have upgraded our machinery more than our housing.''
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