Plaintiffs: Escolastico De Leon-Granados, Isaias Profeta De Leon-Granados, Armenio Pablo-Calmo and all others similarly situated
Defendants: Eller and Sons Trees, Inc. and Jerry Eller
Date(s) of Disposition:
none.
Order
: Discovery Order 09-28-06
Judgment
: Summary Judgement
For more information about the conditions facing forestry workers, visit Beneath the Pines: Stories of Migrant Tree Planters.Class action lawsuit against forestry company for violations of minimum wage and overtime protections, and for aother violations of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act.
In late September 2006, a federal court in Atlanta granted class action status to the Eller case meaning the Immigrant Justice Project (IJP) can litigate on behalf of thousands of migrant agricultural workers who were legally admitted to the United States to work under a temporary foreign worker visa program. Brought from Mexico and Guatemala, the workers plant pine trees in the southeastern states, the nation's largest timber-producing region.
Without class certification, the lawsuit would benefit only the handful of workers who joined the case as named plaintiffs.
Read related stories:
Thousands of cheated guestworkers to recover lost wages in SPLC forestry case
Forestry lawsuit wins class certification
SPLC lawsuits seek reform of forestry industry
