MORNING SENTINEL • October 23, 2021
Backyard Farms, one of the leading tomato producers in the country, repeatedly violated federal labor laws by dismissing domestic employees to make room for incoming foreign workers, according to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. The grower paid lower wages to domestic workers when compared to what migrant workers earned performing the same work, federal inspectors said in a 48-page report that reviewed company practices from 2017 to 2019. Backyard Farms also contracted with three temporary-help agencies that were not farm labor contractors registered to perform the work, a violation of federal law.