Press Release
Migrant workers file federal unfair labor practice charges against Georgia warehouse operator
Filing comes amid reports that Egreen Transport, the company operating the Savannah warehouses, is also being investigated for labor trafficking by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
SAVANNAH, GA — The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) filed unfair labor practice charges today against Egreen Transport Corporation and Bole Human Resources Co., Ltd. on behalf of a group of Chinese migrant workers. Bole Human Resources, an employment recruitment agency, placed the workers at warehouses operated by Egreen Transport in Savannah, Georgia. The Chinese warehouse workers organized multiple strikes to protest their employers, who refused to pay them wages.
“It is wrong for Egreen to not pay wages and prohibit workers from striking,” said Mr. Guo, a former employee and charging party in the case who asked to go by a pseudonym. Mr. Guo is a migrant from China who fears retaliation for speaking out against his former employer. “I hope that workers who have been oppressed and exploited will bravely stand up to protect their rights. This world needs justice.”
In its filings with the National Labor Relations Board, AALDEF outlines how Egreen Transport and Bole Human Resources violated these workers’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act. After Bole Human Resources placed the workers in warehouses operated by Egreen Transport, the workers did not receive any wages. When they engaged in organizing activities protected under federal law, including organizing strikes to demand their unpaid wages, the companies threatened to fire the workers and report them to various law enforcement agencies.
“Under federal law, workers are able to freely organize and protest,” said Elizabeth Koo, Senior Counsel at AALDEF who is representing the workers. “These employers not only illegally refused to pay these workers–raising serious labor concerns–but also violated their right to organize and express their grievances. Their employers must be held accountable.”
Sur Legal Collaborative is serving as co-counsel with AALDEF in the case. Their complaint on behalf of the workers is the latest in a string of serious concerns raised about Egreen Transport following local media reports about labor trafficking by the company, which have reportedly prompted a U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigation.
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For additional information, contact:
Stuart J. Sia
Communications Director
212.966.5932 x203
ssia@aaldef.org