A dozen Guatemalans filed a federal human trafficking and racketeering lawsuit against a large nursery Thursday, claiming they were taken from North Carolina to Connecticut against their will, forced to work nearly 80 hours a week and paid less than minimum wage. The workers sued Imperial Nurseries in Granby and its labor recruiter, saying they were promised jobs planting trees in North Carolina for $7.50 per hour. Some of the 12 had flown from Guatemala to North Carolina for the job. But instead, they say they were taken in a van to Connecticut without their consent, had their passports confiscated so they would not escape and were threatened with arrest or deportation.
See "Conn. Nursery Accused of Forced Labor", Associated Press, The New York Times, February 7, 2007