Coachella Valley farmworkers receive settlement payments after allegations of unpaid wages, workplace abuse

COACHELLA, Calif. (KESQ) — A group of Coachella Valley farmworkers received settlement payments Friday after coming forward with allegations of unpaid wages and difficult working conditions.

The workers gathered at the TODEC Legal Center in Coachella, where they shared their experiences and received payments through the California Labor Commissioner's Office.

One farmworker, who asked to remain anonymous, described her experience working at a Coachella Valley farm as stressful and traumatic.

The worker says she eventually left the job but was still owed money for her final day of work.

She and other workers turned to TODEC for help.

“When you empower a worker, a community member they get that power and strength to come forward when there are injustices," said TODEC Executive Director Luz Gallegos.

TODEC then worked with the California Labor Commissioner's Office to help the workers recover the money they were owed.

California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower says the case is significant because her office used California's crop lien law — a tool that can help secure unpaid wages for agricultural workers.

“When an employer fails to pay a worker who harvested or transported crops, there’s a lien that attached to those crops. That lien maintains until they are paid," she said.

García-Brower says unpaid wages can be a widespread problem.

“It’s a rampant problem particularly in immigrant communities, particularly in the Coachella Valley where you don’t have a strong presence.”

The settlement event was held as Labor Day weekend began. Gallegos says the timing was meant to bring greater awareness to farmworkers' rights and remind workers that they should not be taken advantage of regardless of their immigration status.

The worker says she is still dealing with fear from what she experienced, but is grateful to finally receive payment for the work she was owed.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.