Connecticut nursery accused of forced labor (held without consent, had their passports confiscated)

[Kadie]

Connecticut nursery accused of forced labor
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer
9 minutes ago


NEW HAVEN, Conn. - A dozen Guatemalans filed a federal human trafficking and racketeering lawsuit against a large nursery Thursday, claiming they were taken from North Carolina to Connecticut against their will, forced to work nearly 80 hours a week and paid less than minimum wage.

The workers sued Imperial Nurseries in Granby and its labor recruiter, saying they were promised jobs planting trees in North Carolina for $7.50 per hour.

Some of the 12 had flown from Guatemala to North Carolina for the job. But instead, they say they were taken in a van to Connecticut without their consent, had their passports confiscated so they would not escape and were threatened with arrest or deportation. They say they were made to sleep on the floors of filthy apartments, paid less than $3.75 per hour and had their mail opened without their permission.

"These workers came here lawfully to earn a living and support their families," said Nicole Hallett, a Yale Law School student helping represent the workers. "Instead they were defrauded and trapped into conditions of forced labor."

snip...
"I started crying and said, 'You should let me go free,'" he said. "Every day they forced us to do more and more work. Our hands began to get swollen and they laughed at us and said, 'You can keep working.'"

more...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070208/ap_on_re_us/human_trafficking_lawsuit_1