A SETTLEMENT IS REACHED ON BEHALF OF 14 FORMER MEXICAN EMPLOYEES OF FISH FARMS, INC., A U.S. COMPANY

The Foreign Ministry reports that, as part of its efforts to protect Mexicans abroad, lawyers from the specialized legal program (PROTEJE) reached a settlement on behalf of 14 Mexican workers who sued Fish Farms Inc., a U.S. company based in Tennessee.

The settlement will compensate all of the claims for various labor violations, including irregularities in the payment of wages and the working hours agreed upon, as well as discrimination due to national origin and retaliation for demanding their rights. The 14 plaintiffs possess temporary work visas (H2A) and come from the states of Guerrero, Jalisco, Mexico and Morelos.

The suit that led to the settlement was filed in April 2011 before the U.S. District Court in Greenville, Tennessee. It was filed jointly by Southern Migrant Legal Services (SMLS) in Nashville, Tennessee and the U.S. law firm Hughes, Socol, Piers, Resnick & Dym (HSPRD).

Mexico created the specialized legal program to help provide legal advice and representation in the United States by litigating cases that set precedents that benefit the Mexican community there.
The Mexican government will continue to protect the rights of Mexicans abroad, regardless of their immigration status, through its embassy and consulates in the U.S.