A Minnesota dairy farm is facing legal action for allegedly failing to pay its workers in full and unlawfully charging rent for poor accommodation.
State Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a case in Stearns County District Court against Evergreen Acres Dairy, Evergreen Estates, Morgan Feedlots, and the dairy’s owners, Keith Schaefer and Megan Hill. Ellison issued a statement claiming that farm businesses in the Paynesville area systematically deprived vulnerable, low-wage dairy employees of more than three million dollars in wages by deducting regular and overtime hours from workers’ paychecks, failing to pay wages owed at the start and end of workers’ employment, and illegally deducting rent for substandard onsite housing that does not meet habitability standards.
Ellison claims that many of the impacted workers are undocumented and come from Mexico with little or no English proficiency. He claims the inquiry started after getting information from local citizens.
