PARK HILLS, Mo. — A Missouri farm in Park Hills underpaid hundreds of its workers and now owes those workers hundreds of thousands in back pay, the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division said on Wednesday.
The farm, Missouri Vegetable Farm LLC, and owners Benjy and Robert Proffer, were ordered to pay $394,159 to 102 temporary visa workers and 105 U.S. workers. The business must also pay $85,824 to 22 "corresponding" U.S. workers and $38,289 in civil penalties.
The move comes after a division investigation found the farm often failed to pay workers the correct wages for agricultural tasks they performed, often for over 40 hours in a workweek, a press release from the division said. The company also failed to combine hours employees worked in both farming and packaging operations.
“Employers must understand the wage requirements for the workers they employ," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Noah Lee in St. Louis.
"When seeking approval to hire temporary visa workers, employers agree to specific terms for pay rates, job tasks and other compensation and must also pay non-visa employees at least the same rate. The wages recovered for these workers will have a significant impact on their lives. Many of them may have not understood their rights to overtime pay.”
The farm is part of the Proffer Company, which the division said is a family-owned and operated wholesale produce company with farms in Missouri and Arkansas.
Workers wondering whether they are entitled to back wages can click here to use the division's Workers Owed Wages search tool.
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