‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers? (Obama)

theblaze.com ^ | 08-31-2012 | Becket Adams

[bronxville]

‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers?

"Oregon farmers and state officials are furious with the U.S. Labor Department after federal authorities in July put a hold on thousands of dollars worth of blueberries, citing “widespread” record-keeping and minimum wage violations, Eric Mortenson reports for The Oregonian.

“[T]he department invoked a “hot goods” provision of labor law that prohibited shipment of the berries. Labor officials also notified wholesalers that berries from the farms would be subject to the order and should not be processed or shipped,” according to the report.

“Hot goods” orders are used by the department’s Wage and Hour Division to halt the production and/or sale of goods its believes were produced in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

But here‘s what has members of Oregon’s congressional delegation and the Oregon Farm Bureau particularly disturbed: The federal agency told the farmers that they could make everything go away if they paid “a fine and back wages and sign a consent judgment admitting wrong and agreeing not to contest the order even if subsequent information exonerated the farms.”

It’s “extortion,” said Greg Ditchen whose farm had to pay $169,816 in back wages and penalties. He had no other choice. It was either that or let his crops go to waste.

“They put a hot goods order on our fruit, and after they had the money they said we had to sign a paper saying we were wrong,” Ditchen said. “We had to make a business decision and sign the paper.”"

CONTINUED AT SITE: http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/post_article

[bronxville]

And he wasn’t the only farmer to take a hit.

“A second farm, E&S Farms Inc. of Woodburn, paid $11,301 in back wages and a $10,500 penalty. Earlier this month, the Department of Labor said Pan-American Berry Growers of Salem signed a consent order to pay $41,778 in back wages and a $7,040 civil penalty,” Mortenson reports.

Since imposing the heavy-handed fees and giving the growers no other choice but to pay them, Oregon’s labor commissioner, agriculture director, and members of the state’s congressional delegation have demanded the labor department explain itself.

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis pauses during a news conference at the G20 Labor and Employment Ministers Meeting at the Labor Department on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian told the fed agency in a letter that they most likely violated the constitutional search and seizure and due process rights of farmers “who have yet to be found guilty of anything.”

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/extortion-why-did-the-labor-department-drop-the-hammer-on-ore-farmers/

[bronxville]

[Brad from Tennessee]

Obama’s donors aren't coughing up enough dollars. They got to get campaign funds from somebody.

[Regulator]

This is good.

The more Hilda Solis, Reconquistadora, pushes U.S. labor regulations on the criminal farmers who hire illegal aliens, the more they will realize they have to just comply with the laws.

Which means they forget about the illegals, and go back to hiring Americans.

To do that jobs Americans won't do. But used to, before the farming class decided that they really like U.S. property laws (which make them rich), but really don't like U.S. labor laws (which only make other Americans employed).

Of course, if the SOBs in Oregon want to use Mexican labor to do their work, they can always move to Mexico.

I'm sure the Mexican thug society will welcome them with open arms, and huge land grants, like they got for being Americans.

Sure they will.

[Pontiac]

Obama’s courting the Illegal Immigrant Farm Laborer Vote.

[Sarajevo]

But here‘s what has members of Oregon’s congressional delegation and the Oregon Farm Bureau particularly disturbed: The federal agency told the farmers that they could make everything go away if they paid “a fine and back wages and sign a consent judgment admitting wrong and agreeing not to contest the order even if subsequent information exonerated the farms.”

That sounds like extortion to me.

[muawiyah]

So, they caved ~ but they'd been breaking the law for years just so they could bring in cheap Mexican labor and avoid hiring Americans.

This particular bunch of farmers gave it away when they suggested they'd need to be sued to get them to conform to American law.

[Venturer]

Theft by Government thugs.

This is Obama’s America.

[Pontiac]

Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian told the fed agency in a letter that they most likely violated the constitutional search and seizure and due process rights of farmers “who have yet to be found guilty of anything.”

I agree

These farmers should get together and hire a lawyer and file a civil rights lawsuit.

You can’t let the government get away with this stuff unless you want it to become a regular thing you have to deal with every year.

[bobo1]

I was born in oregon. when i was young we went out and picked strawberries with my grandmother. i think we got 50 cents a crate back at that time.

worked all summer long, but that was a lot of money for a seven year old kid. the bathtub had a red ring around it after i was done, along with my brother and sisters.

i still hate strawberries till this day. ate too many, picked too many, but my grandma taught me how to work.

i preferred eating the cherry’s off the tree, and crabapples too. and apples? got them cuz my aunt had an apple tree in her yard and i would crawl up and eat apples.

but, picking strawberries, gave me money.

bought a kodak camera with the money. took pictures, made me proud that i had something that i enjoyed. took pictures of my mom and dad, brother and sisters. it was worth it.

my old grandma, going out with us to show us how to work. that was the most wonderful gift of all.

God bless her, she died at 99.

Blessings, bobo

[spokeshave]

federal authorities in July put a hold on thousands of dollars worth of blueberries, ...

Blueberries eh.....could it be because the Blueberry has exceptional medicinal properties....

When Blueberries are banned...only outlaw herbal gardeners will have blueberries,

Berries contain: Flavinod glycosides, Polyphrnols , Pectins and Vitamin C.

Herbal use: Astringent, tonic and antiseptic properties for treatment of diarrhoea, dysentry, haemoroids, gastrointestinal inflammation, mouth infections, scurvy and urinary complaints.

It has also been used in diabetes, gout, and rheumatism and applied locally in eye infections, burns, and skin infections.

Herbal Medicines 2nd ed, J. Barnes, L. A. Anderson and J. D. Phillipson.

Pub by Pharmaceutical Press ISBN 0-85369-474-5.

Enjoy your Blueberries.

[wesagain]

"The federal agency told the farmers that they could make everything go away if they paid “a fine and back wages and sign a consent judgment admitting wrong and agreeing not to contest the order even if subsequent information exonerated the farms.” "

Are you fricken kidding? - How's that hope and change workin folks? Are you gonna keep bending over???

[wesagain]

"The federal agency told the farmers that they could make everything go away if they paid “a fine and back wages and sign a consent judgment admitting wrong and agreeing not to contest the order even if subsequent information exonerated the farms.” "

Are you fricken kidding? - How's that hope and change workin folks? Are you gonna keep bending over???

[Pontiac]

That sounds like extortion to me.

A contract signed under duress is invalid.

These farmers need to find the best lawyer they can afford and fight this.

[muawiyah]

BTW, if you think this is tough imagine what would happen if you got caught dealing in more than 15 bunny rabbits a year without your permit from USDA as a bunny breeder?

Remember that family who got tagged for raising bunnies without that permit ~ tens of thousands of bucks. See; >http://puppies.burningbird.net/article/john-dollarhite-and-his-90000-usda-fine

[SatinDoll]

Where is Gov. Kitzhaber, hmm? Or doesn’t he give a damn about Oregon farmers anymore?

In all, I believe it is time American farmers realize they can no longer use illegal aliens as labor, period. This means they must change the way they run their businesses.

Americans are an imaginative lot, and especially so our farmers. There exist solutions to their problems; farmers just have to be willing to change their business models and apply really hard pressure on Congress.

I used to live in Oregon and know that before 1972, berry crops in Oregon and Washington states were havested by kids between 10 and 18 years old. My sister was one of them. I myself picked strawberries in the Capristrano Valley, 1978. The Feds have now made that impossible, and laws and regulations preventing American youngsters working in the fields during summer must be repealed.

We do not need illegal aliens doing this labor intensive farm work during the summer months.

[arthurus]

I suspect it is part of the Federal program to concentrate ALL growing of food in two or three large agricultural corporations. It is now actually illegal to grow anything edible in any small, non farm, garden anywhere and farmers' markets are outlawed. The Central Valley in California is being turned back into desert as the Feds have denied farmers there access to water. The goal seems to be something like the old Soviet State Farms. We are passing right by the "collective" agricultural stage and going straight to nominally free enterprise corporate monopolies. That way lies eventual famine as the breadbasket of the world drastically reduces the variety of produce and grains and makes agriculture dependent on sterile crops that must be replenished from the Monsanto,ADM,etc labs. At sơme point in the future there must be a breakdown such as happens in agriculture but with only a few huge enterprises a farm disaster becomes a national disaster. And at the same time it is a cause for Federal investigation and confiscation if one is suspected of "hoarding" more than two weeks of food. This all doesn't look so much like 30s Germany as it looks like 30s Soviet Union. And it is not all OBAMA. This has been building through several administrations in a pretty much independent bureaucracy that happily implements destructive orders from the Executive and happily makes up its own rules in the absence of or along with such orders.

[dk88]

He’s in the union shop dictating for the masters.

On one hand, it’s good to encourage legal workers.

But on the other two hands, you can’t afford them, or the government regulations to grow food.

[SatinDoll]

See my post at #16, and bobo1’s at #10.

The Federal Govt. forced the farmers to hire migrant labor rather than seasonal local labor, which over time became more and more a force of illegal aliens from south of the border.

[Moonman62]

"Oregon farmers and state officials are furious with the U.S. Labor Department after federal authorities in July put a hold on thousands of dollars worth of blueberries,

These days, that's not many blueberries.