Kaua‘i Coffee named in human trafficking lawsuit

LIHU‘E — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Wednesday that it has filed its largest agricultural human trafficking lawsuit against labor contractor Global Horizons and eight farms, including Kaua‘i Coffee Company.

The EEOC’s lawsuit claims that between 2003 and 2007 Global Horizons targeted and trafficked more than 200 economically vulnerable Asian men from Thailand to six farms in Hawai‘i and two farms in Washington, where they were subjected to severe abuses often with the help of the agricultural companies and farms with which it contracted.

The Beverly Hills-based contractor enticed the workers with false promises of steady, high-paying agricultural jobs and temporary visas, an EEOC statement said. When the workers arrived in the U.S., Global Horizons is said to have confiscated workers’ passports and saddled them with insurmountable debt by charging them high recruitment fees.

Workers were forced to live in dilapidated housing infested with rats and insects and dozens slept in the same room and often without a bed, EEOC said, adding that they were forbidden from leaving the premises and their movements were restricted by bodyguards.

The EEOC said workers “endured screaming, threats and physical assaults” by their supervisors and were “isolated from non-Thai farm workers who appeared to be working under more tolerable conditions.”

During a press conference Thursday, EEOC Los Angeles District Director Michael Farrell said workers were often not paid for their work or given work as promised. There were threats of deportation and they were isolated, had deplorable housing conditions and were deprived water for long periods of time, he said. Some workers finally managed to escape and find their way to nonprofit organizations for assistance. 

In Hawai‘i, the EEOC filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court after first attempting to reach a prelitigation settlement of an estimated $3.5 million. The lawsuit argues that the conduct of Global Horizons and the eight farms constitutes retaliation, national origin and race discrimination, and seeks back pay, compensatory and punitive damages for victims and injunctive relief “intended to prevent further abuses at the companies and farms.”

In addition to Kaua‘i Coffee, other farms named in the lawsuit include: Captain Cook Coffee and Mac Farms of Hawai‘i on the Big Island; Del Monte Fresh Produce and Kelena Farms on O‘ahu; and Maui Pineapple Farms on Maui.

The lawsuit states these farms either engaged in, knew or should have known of the unlawful practices.

Kaua‘i Coffee contracted Global Horizons for labor for two seasons between 2004 and 2005, said Linda Howe, community relations manager for Alexander and Baldwin, which owned Kaua‘i Coffee during that period.

In a prepared statement Thursday, Christopher Benjamin, head of agribusiness for Alexander and Baldwin, said, “We have never been informed by any of the workers from Thailand, any governmental authority or anyone else that the Thai workers experienced any mistreatment while at Kaua‘i Coffee.”

Under its contract with Global Horizons, Benjamin said Kaua‘i Coffee paid Global Horizons for workers’ wages at the rate established by the U.S. Department of Labor, plus an administrative fee for Global Horizons.

“Global was responsible for paying the workers,” he said. “The housing we provided to the Thai workers was inspected by OSHA and certified as meeting the government-required living conditions, standards and regulations. The housing was within walking distance to our headquarters and factory.”

Benjamin said the Thai workers had no restrictions outside work hours; they were free to come and go and interact with other employees.

“They had access to all of Kaua‘i Coffee lands, including reservoirs and the ocean, which they used for recreational purposes. Additionally, transportation was available to other locations on the island,” he said. “Two of the Thai workers who were formerly employed by Global Horizons have been directly hired by Kaua‘i Coffee, as they have since obtained work clearances.”

Alexander and Baldwin sold Kaua‘i Coffee, the largest producer of coffee in the U.S., to Italian coffee giant Massimo Zanetti Beverage earlier this year. MBZ owns plantations in South and Central America.

“We understand that some employers have difficulty obtaining labor for certain jobs like farm work,” Farrell said. “The recruitment techniques and labor conditions must be in compliance with the EEOC laws of this country.”

He said the EEOC does not make any distinction between Global Horizons and the farms that contracted their services, because both engaged in and benefited from the process.

EEOC anticipates hundreds of additional claimants and witnesses will come forward throughout the course of the civil action.

“Human trafficking is one of the most insidious forms of discrimination,” said Anna Park, an attorney for EEOC. “The EEOC is committed to holding employers accountable for benefiting from the modern-day enslavement of workers from other countries.”

Olophius Perry, EEOC district director, added, “Foreign workers should be treated as equals when working in the U.S., not as second-class citizens. All workers — foreign and U.S. — are protected under the law and have the right to complain of such employment abuses, which poison the moral fabric of our society.”

Worldwide, human trafficking has become one of the most widespread and lucrative organized crimes, with profits now surpassing arms dealing and second only to the illegal drug trade, said Rana Jackson in a special report for The Garden Island last August.

During the last 20 years, an estimated 12 million to 27 million people fell victim to human trafficking and were forced to exist as slaves, Jackson said.

If you suspect human trafficking violations, call the EEOC at 800-669-4000 or visit www.eeoc.gov.

• Vanessa Van Voorhis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or by emailing vvanvoorhis@thegardenisland.com.