US Firms Accused Of Abusing Thai Workers

[Paul123456]

Pointing a finger at Thailand does not distract from the fact that a supposedly developed country that touts freedom and equality does not walk the walk.

Angmo: you've got it exactly wrong. It says the US government has charged a PRIVATE company with the abuses...it is not the US government which perpetrated the abuses. Global Horizons is a private company, operating illegally.

It is the very fact that the US is a developed country with the rule of law that is bringing this situation to an end. The US absolutely "walks the walk", much more so than most countries.

I wouldn't be too quick to say the USA "walks the walk". It is well known that a large amount of USA agriculture 'employs' illegal, under-paid, highly exploited Mexicans. And the USA government does very little to stamp this out.

Added to that - over the last 30 years, many USA jobs have been moved overseas, leaving USA people unemployed, whilst employing others in sub-standard conditions, so as USA companies can make bigger and bigger profits. The USA government does nothing to stop this.

I think it would be interesting to see the conditions of those employed by the USA military and the contractors in war-zones - I suspect we'd find lots of abuse.

Of course you also have big USA companies all over the world that are poisoning rivers, destroying jungles, financing wars and military dictators,.... - for profit.

The USA certainly does not walk the walk.

[Mrjlh]

>

Here's a great one. A woman purchased a Winnebago motorhome. Took it to a tailgate party at a football game for her first trip out. On the way back home, she got hungry, so put it on cruise control and went back to the kitchen to make a bite to eat. She's doing this solo while driving down the highway at 55MPH. >

Pure URBAN LEGEND....As olds as the hills!

[Diablo Bob]

Pointing a finger at Thailand does not distract from the fact that a supposedly developed country that touts freedom and equality does not walk the walk.

Angmo: you've got it exactly wrong. It says the US government has charged a PRIVATE company with the abuses...it is not the US government which perpetrated the abuses. Global Horizons is a private company, operating illegally.

It is the very fact that the US is a developed country with the rule of law that is bringing this situation to an end. The US absolutely "walks the walk", much more so than most countries.

I wouldn't be too quick to say the USA "walks the walk". It is well known that a large amount of USA agriculture 'employs' illegal, under-paid, highly exploited Mexicans. And the USA government does very little to stamp this out.

Added to that - over the last 30 years, many USA jobs have been moved overseas, leaving USA people unemployed, whilst employing others in sub-standard conditions, so as USA companies can make bigger and bigger profits. The USA government does nothing to stop this.

I think it would be interesting to see the conditions of those employed by the USA military and the contractors in war-zones - I suspect we'd find lots of abuse.

Of course you also have big USA companies all over the world that are poisoning rivers, destroying jungles, financing wars and military dictators,.... - for profit.

The USA certainly does not walk the walk.

You have missed the point..... the US Government doesn't employ the exploited farm workers, corporations do. The US Government has made it very difficult to employ illegals, and when caught by the INS the penalties are harsh, even if you hired them thinking they were legal.

The jobs leaving the US isn't part of a government agenda, again it is corporations AND if a corporation is found to be running sweat shops in Mumbai again the penalties are harsh.

As to our war zones, well I am writing this response from Afghanistan. I am working with an Indian owned corporation working on most of the military bases in Afghanistan. ALL the employees get three meals a day, served in the same facility alongside the military forces (NO SEGREGATION). The housing facilities are inspected monthly for safety & sanitary, max of two people in a 20 foot container, we have to keep records of hours worked, minimum amounts of vacation are mandated by law & contract. Things might be different in Sudan & Somalia but I doubt it.....

And yes we have our corporations that do pollute the earth! But corporations don't finance the wars and support the dictators, THAT is the governments job

[Mrjlh]

Pointing a finger at Thailand does not distract from the fact that a supposedly developed country that touts freedom and equality does not walk the walk.

Angmo: you've got it exactly wrong. It says the US government has charged a PRIVATE company with the abuses...it is not the US government which perpetrated the abuses. Global Horizons is a private company, operating illegally.

It is the very fact that the US is a developed country with the rule of law that is bringing this situation to an end. The US absolutely "walks the walk", much more so than most countries.

I wouldn't be too quick to say the USA "walks the walk". It is well known that a large amount of USA agriculture 'employs' illegal, under-paid, highly exploited Mexicans. And the USA government does very little to stamp this out.

Added to that - over the last 30 years, many USA jobs have been moved overseas, leaving USA people unemployed, whilst employing others in sub-standard conditions, so as USA companies can make bigger and bigger profits. The USA government does nothing to stop this.

I think it would be interesting to see the conditions of those employed by the USA military and the contractors in war-zones - I suspect we'd find lots of abuse.

Of course you also have big USA companies all over the world that are poisoning rivers, destroying jungles, financing wars and military dictators,.... - for profit.

The USA certainly does not walk the walk.

You have missed the point..... the US Government doesn't employ the exploited farm workers, corporations do. The US Government has made it very difficult to employ illegals, and when caught by the INS the penalties are harsh, even if you hired them thinking they were legal.

The jobs leaving the US isn't part of a government agenda, again it is corporations AND if a corporation is found to be running sweat shops in Mumbai again the penalties are harsh.

As to our war zones, well I am writing this response from Afghanistan. I am working with an Indian owned corporation working on most of the military bases in Afghanistan. ALL the employees get three meals a day, served in the same facility alongside the military forces (NO SEGREGATION). The housing facilities are inspected monthly for safety & sanitary, max of two people in a 20 foot container, we have to keep records of hours worked, minimum amounts of vacation are mandated by law & contract. Things might be different in Sudan & Somalia but I doubt it.....

And yes we have our corporations that do pollute the earth! But corporations don't finance the wars and support the dictators, THAT is the governments job

I don't know where some people get their information. Believe too much in Urban legends. Everyone always blames the Government! So stupid. They want to government to create jobs. That's not their job. If the government created jobs the tax payers would have to pay for it. It's corporations and company's that create jobs. They need to make a profit so they go where the cost is lower so they can make a bigger profit. So they go overseas. The keep the jobs in the US the "government" needs to come up with ways to entice corporations and company's to stay in the US. Hard to do when they fight big unions and employees who want big salaries. Well, you can't have everything and now its caught up to the working class.

We have agencies (yes, government ones) that server as watch dogs over company's who abuse employment rules. Most of the time they can't act unless they get complaints. Occassionally thery do inspections and catch employers doing wrong. When they do act they come down with a vengeance. Fines are not light by any means and people have been known to go to jail. When you read about a "lawsuit", its more than just fining the employer, it usually results in very large settlements which go to the employes wronged. But also the lawyers take their "big" cut too! 30-40%. I remember all the details but I recall a company in Southern California who got sued by the Fed's, fined big time, and payout nearly $100K per employee of which there were 30 or so. Company went under but months later another one bought up assets and restarted.

And as far as the farm workers go....Mr Chavez fix that problem in the 70's! They get minimum wage by law plus benefits or can elect several other payment plans. Yea, they do the work no one else wants to do but they get paid for it. They are treat a hell of a lot better than they were 30-40 years ago. And I have to agree their are some employers who try to take advantage of the workers. But get caught and the fines and retribution isn't worth it. As in the recent case just reported. Those employers prey on people not familiar with our laws and unfortunately don't get caught as often as they should. But people or friends know of these situations would speak up and complained then you'd see more arrests and fines issued. The system is there, it just needs to be used.

[Bubbalicious]

I wouldn't be surprise if the owner of these companies were either Thai or Chinese.

Israeli, as noted by someone already, but with several Thai associates/employees.

This is actually an old case that dates back to Sept. 2010 with the original indictment (not sched for trial till Feb. 2012). Could b this additional indictment is related to the judge in the case looking favorably on the idea of letting this guy to be out from under house arrest and travel to California. The additional Immigration indictment from 2009 means this dude has been looked at for a long time but for whatever reason, the wheels of justice are turning mighty slow.

From hawaiinewsnow dt cm

The government considers Orian a flight risk. He will be held without bail at the Federal Detention Center until a detention hearing Wednesday, September 8.

Five other people were indicted with Orian.

Pranee Tubchumpol, 44, surrendered to the FBI in Los Angeles Wednesday.

The FBI said Kona resident Sam Wongsesanit, 39, has agreed to surrender next week.

Shane Germann, 41, surrendered to the FBI in Fargo, North Dakota Wednesday.

The FBI believes Ratawan Chunharutai and Podjanee Sinchai are both in Thailand and are considered fugitives.

Here are some happy details from part of another article:

BY MALIA ZIMMERMAN – HONOLULU, HAWAII (Part 2 in a series) Kiet Jainukul planned to leave his wife, two young children, and native Thailand behind to work in Israel on a farm with hopes he could bring his family out of poverty.

In 2002, when he saw a recruitment ad for a 3-year full-time job in America at $9 an hour, he jumped at the chance to make more money in what he saw as the land of opportunity.

The problem: He says a manpower recruiter from SAIM TP in Udon, Thailand required him to pay 650,000 baht (approximately $17,000) in cash, even though Thai recruiters are allowed to collect just 65,000 baht or $1,500 in fees.

The recruiter escorted him to Krungsri Ayutthaya Bank also known as Bank of Ayudhya to borrow half the money, and he "went out of the system" to get the rest from wealthy villagers at a much higher interest, using his family's home and rice farm as collateral. He never touched the cash. If he spoke English or wasn't married, he would not be accepted, the recruiter told him. His level of education, which like most of his peers did not go past grammar school, also was noted on his form.

When it came time to leave the country, and the money had already been paid, the recruiter told him he must not tell the Thai Department of Labor that he paid more or he would have his visa, job and deposit revoked. Scared he would lose everything, he kept quiet and signed a government document that said he paid the maximum legally allowed in fees and no more. He was optimistic that in a year, he could pay off the debt, and make two years profit.

But in reality, that plan would never materialized. After leaving Thailand bound for Arizona farms, Jainukul was redirected to Los Angeles where Global Horizons was headquartered and spent a month in an apartment with 10 other Thai workers waiting to get to work.

They only brought $20 to $100 each to America, and that money didn't go very far in pricey LA when they needed to buy their own food. They mostly ate Saimin. "We were very, very hungry, but afraid to go out any place, because could not speak language," said Jainukul. A neighbor concerned about their well-being began to cook for them, Jainukul says.

Their first night in LA, founder of Global Horizons Mordechai "Motty" Orian came to visit them in their LA apartment. He told the workers who had only paid half of the recruitment fee upfront, that they would be transferred to Hawaii to work if they paid balance immediately. Orian told them to call their families in Thailand and get more money to the labor recruiters.

Here are some more details about the Thai woman who was arrested, from the Free the Slaves blog:

One of the U.S. employees was Pranee Tubchumpol. She was arrested in her home in Gardena, California, just a few miles from the west coast headquarters of Free the Slaves. Tubchumpol was reportedly the head of Global Horizon's international relations, acting "as a liaison between workers, the Department of Labor's H2A guest worker program and Thai authorities."

She also operates a massage parlor in Culver City—also just a few miles away from FTS headquarters. Five Senses Spa Thai Massage, located at 4349 1/2 Sepulveda Blvd. was briefly closed, following Tubchumpol's arrest. But, according to Culver City News, has since re-opened.

Another clear reminder that modern day slavery can happen right in our own communities.

[Hawaiian]

Two of the farms named in the lawsuit are close to where I live. The local newspaper has contacted both companies and is awaiting comments. Will be interesting to hear their story.

A recent survey of major American corporations says that excessive government rules and regulations and not higher wages are the main reason for moving operations overseas. As a former employer for 35 years, I can attest to that. Fair and sensible labor laws are one thing, however, the red tape and redundant paperwork are totally ridiculous.

[Macmundi]

Americans don't do that to other people. Im not American and Im not thai either, but I can tell you that these organisations consists of Thai-Americans. because they know they can abuse their own people.

[Hawaiian]

Bubb, the prosecution is till gathering evidence as more witnesses are found. The government wants to identify as many "victims" as possible in order to tally up the amount of compensation that will be paid. I believe this is one reason for the delay.

[Honolulu]

Talk about a slanted headline!

So it turns out a Thai woman was ripping off some poor Thai souls in another country. That I believe.

[Macmundi]

Americans don't do that to other people. Im not American and Im not thai either, but I can tell you that these organisations consists of Thai-Americans. because they know they can abuse their own people.

should also add.. the scums are mostly thai.. they don't have values.

[WarpSpeed]

Pointing a finger at Thailand does not distract from the fact that a supposedly developed country that touts freedom and equality does not walk the walk.

Eh "country" ?? These charges have been brought to bear by that country!! There are 2 "companies" of obvious dubious reputations involved not a "country" ...

[geriatrickid]

Pointing a finger at Thailand does not distract from the fact that a supposedly developed country that touts freedom and equality does not walk the walk.

uh, did you read the original post?! Not that the USoA is perfect by any stretch, but the alleged offenders are multi-national CORPORATIONS, not the GOVERNMENT... The US government is actually prosecuting them, in effect "walking the walk," you'd have to agree, judging by your yardstick.

With all the lawyers there, an immigrant...or "abused" worker...will have lots of help on their side. More so than in pretty much any other country in the world. Unless of course they are lucky enough to in the UK...from what I have read.

Here's a great one. A woman purchased a Winnebago motorhome. Took it to a tailgate party at a football game for her first trip out. On the way back home, she got hungry, so put it on cruise control and went back to the kitchen to make a bite to eat. She's doing this solo while driving down the highway at 55MPH.

Obviously, she ends up in a wreck with the motorhome going off the road. She sued Winnebago because the owner's manual (which I am sure she never read) didn't specifically say you could not leave the driver's seat while it was in cruise control. She won and got over 1MM USD. Sorry to go off topic, but it shows what can be done in the US with a good lawyer (who is getting 70% of the award!).

Urban Myth and not true http://www.snopes.co...chno/cruise.asp

Correct. An internet myth. Shame on you Craig.

The truth is that this sort of nonsense relating to a Winnebago lawsuit never even happened. But, the media bought the story hook, line, and sinker, and never even bothered to check it out. Scores of articles – the vast majority buying the Winnebago story as gospel truth – resulted across the country. Apparently, few journalists bothered to do any research to determine whether they were true. Among outlets falling for the hoax were the New York Daily News, CNN and U.S. News & World Report. In fact, the story actually spread around the world. Readers in Canada, England, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and even Vietnam heard about this fictitious lawsuit that never happened. To his credit, Los Angeles Times reporter Myron Levin, who wanted to learn more about the lawsuit, called Winnebago and found out there was no Grazinski lawsuit. He also learned that the company had not changed the owner's manual to avoid a swarm of copycat claims as claimed by the Stella awards.

Court Watch - Written by Beasley Allen on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 13:49

Edited April 22, 2011 by geriatrickid

[geriatrickid]

Ok, this case seems to be growing legs and the link back to thailand needs to be emphasized because some of the Thais responsible for the alleged crime are still on the loose in Thailand. Here are some facts that are not posted in this thread so far;

The six defendants includeGlobal Horizons president and CEO Mordechai Orian, 45, of Beverly Hills;director of international relations Pranee Tubchumpol, 44; Hawaii regionalsupervisor Shane Germann, 41; and onsite field supervisor Sam Wongsesanit, 39. TheThailand recruiters were identified as Ratawan Chunharutai and PodjaneeSinchai.

If convicted, Mr Orian andMs Tubchumpol each face maximum sentences of 70 years in prison, Mr Ratawanfaces a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison, Mr Germann and Mr Wongsesaniteach face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and Ms Podjanee, who wasrecently charged in Thailand with multiple counts of recruitment fraud, faces amaximum sentence of five years in prison.

The two based in Thailand have alluded capture, and remain at large. The USA has asked for assistance from Thailand.

The reason the CEO is charged is because US law holds the exectuve officers responsible for employee conduct even if the executives are not actually guilty of the specific conduct.

This employment agency is also operating in Canada and supplies farm labour as well as immigrant visa services.

Edited April 22, 2011 by geriatrickid

[chooka]

Pointing a finger at Thailand does not distract from the fact that a supposedly developed country that touts freedom and equality does not walk the walk.

It is not just say Americans, French or Aussies in thier repective countries that are exploiting Thais. Thais residing overseas do exactly the same to thier own. I have a close friend who is studying English in Melbourne. She found a job working in a Thai restuarant on her own after canvassing a number in the CBD. She works 8 hours per day 7 days a week for (56 hrs) $6.00 per hour cash in hand, ($336 per week) no sick leave, annual leave, weekend, public holiday, overtime penalties or superanuation contributions. An ilegal activity on behalf of the Thai owners.

The federal minimum wage (Aust) is currently $15.00 per hour or $569.90 per 38 hour week $27,355.20 annual (before tax). Casual employees covered by the national minimum wage also get at least a 21 per cent casual loading. An employer must not contravene a term of a modern award or a national minimum wage order. Suspected contraventions will be investigated and enforced by the Fair Work Ombudsman. A contravention of a term of a modern award or a national minimum wage order may result in penalties of up to $6,600 for an individual and $33,000 for a corporation.

On average, the minimum wage Thailand 2011, has now increased by nearly 7 percent, bringing the national average to 176.3 baht (app $5.30 AUD) per day.

(Source: The Thailand Board of Investment's Investment Review publication)

In relation to my friend and the other 3 thai students who work for the same person thier Thai employer probably thinks hey I'm Thai and your Thai and I am paying you more than the average Thai wage. If my friend was not staying with her sister and my aussie mate husband she could not simply survive on this in Australia. Her employer probably thinks what are the authorities going to do to me if I get caught exploiting my workers, give me a $6,600 fine? still well in front. I guess you can take the Thai out of Thailand but not the thai corruption and ways of doing things out of the Thai.

What my friend also doesn't understand is that if she is earning an income in Australia she is required by law to declare it and if she gets caught could also be prosecuted.

And she will most likely also be deported and blacklisted.

Very true, the girl would wear the brunt of it whilst the employer cops a $6,000 fine which he will make up in one day.

[Schooner]

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In the middle are millions sitting silent, eating their potato chips, drinking a Bud and watching Fox "news" to learn new ways to punish those lazy, poor from the likes of the Koch brothers.

What did you expect??

[powderpuff]

I have a close friend who is studying English in Melbourne. She found a job working in a Thai restuarant on her own after canvassing a number in the CBD. She works 8 hours per day 7 days a week for (56 hrs) $6.00 per hour cash in hand, ($336 per week) no sick leave, annual leave, weekend, public holiday,

What my friend also doesn't understand is that if she is earning an income in Australia she is required by law to declare it and if she gets caught could also be prosecuted.

Let us know if the visa allows her to work.

[softgeorge]

I have a close friend who is studying English in Melbourne. She found a job working in a Thai restuarant on her own after canvassing a number in the CBD. She works 8 hours per day 7 days a week for (56 hrs) $6.00 per hour cash in hand, ($336 per week) no sick leave, annual leave, weekend, public holiday,

What my friend also doesn't understand is that if she is earning an income in Australia she is required by law to declare it and if she gets caught could also be prosecuted.

Let us know if the visa allows her to work.

That's a big YES

[HerbalEd]

Pointing a finger at Thailand does not distract from the fact that a supposedly developed country that touts freedom and equality does not walk the walk.

You have very narrow vision. Otherwise you'd know that any country ... esp. one with hundreds-of-millions of citizens ... is going to have some evil people. I'm sure your country does also. Meanwhile when the American authorities found out about this terrible situation they dealt with it by investigating and are prosecuting the culprits (individuals and companies). You should learn not to condemn a whole country because of a few bad people. America ... like any nation ... has it's problems and bad people ... but it's still very free and equal, and millions of people in Asia, Africa and Central & South America are trying to get into the country (legally or illegally).

[HerbalEd]

Bait and switch slavery... With practically zero chance of any of the bigwigs going to jail. A slap on the wrist fine and a wink, wink, don't get caught again is about all that will come of this. The company's other operations won't be looked into... And I wouldn't put it past them to have another few hundred stashed at farms in adjoining counties.

How is it that you know all this? You speak as though you're right and yet you really don't know what will happen. I'd hate to live in your world.