A group of migrant workers has filed a lawsuit against a Louisiana-based corporation, alleging exploitation and violations of labor laws. The complaint was filed by Julian Alejandro Flores Colchado and other plaintiffs in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana on December 13, 2024, targeting Bayou Sugar Growers, Inc.
The plaintiffs, who were employed under the H-2A visa program between 2021 and 2024, claim that Bayou Sugar Growers misclassified them as agricultural workers to exploit certain labor-law advantages. This misclassification allegedly allowed Bayou to avoid paying overtime wages and to pay lower agricultural wage rates instead of the higher prevailing wages for non-agricultural heavy truck drivers. According to the complaint, "Bayou obtained approval to employ Plaintiffs as H-2A visa workers by representing falsely that Plaintiffs would be employed as agricultural workers." Instead, they were tasked with transporting sugarcane in heavy tractor-trailer trucks over public roads.
The plaintiffs assert that they regularly worked more than 40 hours per week without receiving overtime pay. They also accuse Bayou of breaching employment contracts by not paying the appropriate hourly wage rate and retaliating against them when they complained about their wages. The complaint details an incident on October 21, 2024, where plaintiffs requested a meeting with a Bayou supervisor to discuss their pay rates. In response, Bayou allegedly threatened termination and called local law enforcement to remove them from worker housing.
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for unpaid wages, declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent future violations, compensatory and punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, and attorney’s fees. The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Hannah Wolf from Southern Migrant Legal Services and Daniel Davis from Estes Davis Law LLC.
This case is being overseen by Judge Shelly D. Dick with Case ID: 3:24-cv-01012-SDD-EWD.