Washington State Again Fires Warning To LA-Based Contractor
By Shannon Dininny, Associated Press Writer - December 28, 2005YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) _ A Los Angeles-based farm-labor contractor operating in central Washington's agriculture-heavy Yakima Valley is in trouble with the state again.
The state Department of Labor and Industries and the Employment Security Department reached a settlement agreement Sept. 22 with Global Horizons of Los Angeles for violating state wage and labor laws. But in a letter Tuesday, the two agencies say Global Horizons already has violated terms of that agreement. They say the state will revoke the company's license if certain conditions are not met by Dec. 30.
The settlement agreement established clear expectations and requirements to bring Global Horizons into compliance with state law, L&I Director Gary Weeks said in a statement.
"While we acknowledge Global's efforts over the past three months ... the company clearly has fallen short in several important areas," Weeks said. "Today, we are giving Global one final chance to comply."
Mordechai Orian, president of Global Horizons, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.
Global Horizons has brought more than 100 temporary agricultural workers from Thailand to the Yakima Valley in each of the past two summers under the federal H-2A guest-worker program. The program allows a labor contractor to bring in foreign workers if it can prove workers can't be found locally.
The state faulted the company for failing to pay back wages to 136 Thai workers last year, violating 11 state codes and failing to comply with basic requirements of state laws designed to protect workers, such as providing adequate housing.
The state also said sufficient numbers of workers were available locally last year through its job-referral system.
According to the letter Tuesday, Global Horizons failed to file reports to the two agencies by the statutory deadlines and also failed to pay premiums and taxes when due.
By Dec. 30, the company must pay $6,937 to the Employment Security Department for delinquent unemployment taxes, interest and penalties.
The company must pay $23,042 in interest and penalties to the Department of Labor and Industries after an audit revealed significant discrepancies between the amount of money Global Horizons paid in industrial insurance premiums and the amount required by law.
"Global's failure to comply with these requirements, and its lax reporting and payment of taxes are not acceptable. Basic fairness requires that Global adhere to the same tax laws and employee obligations as other companies that do business in Washington, and not gain a competitive advantage through its noncompliance," the letter said.
The company's next round of quarterly reports and payments are due Jan. 31.
Under the settlement agreement, Global Horizons also was required to retain an independent third party to investigate and provide reports on the company's treatment of workers. The company has failed to sign a contract with the third party and must do so, the letter said.
At the time of the settlement, the state said the agreement provided Global Horizons a "limited opportunity" to continue operating in Washington, but left the door open for the state to immediately revoke its license if the company failed to comply with settlement terms. | 
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