Ninth Circuit: Joint Employers Are Liable for Non-Workplace Matters Under Title VII for H-2A Workers
APPLIES TO All Employers with AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, WA, Guam, or Northern Mariana Islands Employees with H-2A Visas |
EFFECTIVE February 6, 2019 |
QUESTIONS? Contact HR On-Call |
In EEOC v. Global Horizons, Inc., the Ninth Circuit stated that because employers of H-2A workers are required to provide housing, meals and transportation as “material terms and conditions” of their employment, these employers can be liable for such non-workplace matters under Title VII, even if the employers contract with a third party to provide those work benefits. There, two orchard growers hired Global Horizons as their staffing firm to recruit agricultural workers using H-2A visa authorizations. Two of the workers filed a discrimination claim against the growers and Global Horizons, claiming poor working conditions, substandard living conditions, and unsafe transportation based on their race and national origin.