Tennessee Woman Accuses Farm of Favoring Foreigners

[TitsMcGee]

A Tennessee woman has filed complaints with three government agencies alleging that a local farm discriminated against her for being an American.

Sabrina Steele, 28, says that when she applied for work at Pope's Plant Farm in Greenback, Tenn., a man she believed to be the farm's owner discouraged her from taking the job so that he could hire foreign workers instead.

Critics say the case demonstrates that changes to the government's H-2A foreign worker program will make it harder for Americans to find work.

In November 2007, Pope's Plant Farm applied to the Department of Labor for 75 foreign worker visas. In the application, the farm said its workers would work 40 hours a week for $8.65 an hour.

Steele, a mother of two elementary-school-aged children who has worked on her family farm for years, says she was looking for supplemental income when was referred to the farm by the Tennessee Careers Center in December 2007.

When she went to the farm to apply, Steele said, Mike Pope offered her a job, but he told her she'd be working 80 hours a week and would be the only English-speaking American employee besides the office workers.

Steele says in her complaint that she later learned that the jobs that were available at the farm were in connection with the H-2A application filed by Pope.

"I also learned that in the clearance order, the work offered to temporary foreign workers was for 40 hours a week," she wrote. "If the work offered to me had been the same as that offered to the temporary foreign (and apparently mostly male) workers, I would have accepted."

Steele also alleges she was discriminated against because she is a woman. She said Pope told her she would be outnumbered by men 20-to-1, and that she should consult with her husband before taking the job.

"I believe that Mr. Pope discriminated against me by offering me work that was inferior to the foreign male workers," Steele wrote in her complaint. "I believe he did this because I am a woman. I don’t think he would tell a male applicant to check with his wife and family before taking the job."

Pope's Plant Farm had no comment when contacted by FOXNews.com.

After an article was published in the Daily Times, the local newspaper, Steele was contacted by Melody Fowler-Green, a lawyer with the nonprofit Southern Migrant Legal Services, which provides legal services to migrant agricultural workers.

The group filed a complaint with the Department of Justice last week alleging that Steele was discriminated against because she is an American citizen. Steele also filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Tennessee Careers Center.

"Her allegation is that the foreign guest workers were offered terms and conditions that were more favorable than those that were offered to her, and she believed that was in an effort to dissuade her from taking the job," Fowler-Green told FOXNews.com.

Since she was applying for seasonal agricultural work, Steele was considered a migrant worker.

"What caught our attention in her situation and what led us to sink resources into her case is that we have heard anecdotally for years that U.S. workers have a hard time getting the jobs," Fowler-Green said. "There may be reasons as an employer to favor hiring guest workers, but the law states that it should be the other way around. The program was set up in a way to help prevent the displacement of U.S. workers."

The EEOC is expected to make a decision on Steele's complaint on Thursday, Fowler-Green said.

Steele told FOXNews.com that she decided to pursue the complaints after hearing that dozens of other Americans had been discriminated against when looking for local work, and after she was rejected by other employers herself.

At one farm, she said, she "was actually denied even the opportunity to fill out an application or to come in. One of them was very, very degrading to me and basically didn't like American workers and didn't have much good to say about American workers in general."

She said the slowing economy took its toll on her and her family as she continued to look for work.

"I felt like if they would have met me I could have proved to them I could have done the job, but when you're not even given that opportunity, it's very discouraging," Steele said.

Steele's lawyer said the case highlights how the Bush administration's recent changes to the H-2A foreign guest worker program — loosening regulations on recruiting American workers — hurt Americans and gave a good program a bad name.

"The evidence shows that U.S. workers were already having a hard time getting the work. It may be worse under the new regulations," Fowler-Green said.

"I think that the guest worker programs should be administered such that they protect U.S. workers. It's not just about protecting the rights of the guest workers who come here. That's an important function, not only of the law but of my office, but the program works best when it does protect U.S. workers, especially in this economy."

Steele said she supports the H-2A guest worker program when times are good.

"I don't think the programs need to be eliminated by any means. I don't have a problem with people being willing to do those jobs. I was willing to do them," she said.

"But these employers have to hire the people that apply because we need the income here. We have too many people that are losing their homes every day, and if they're willing to do the work, I think they should have the opportunity to do the work."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This happens on Mackinaw Island all the time, business owners would rather import Russians and Jamaicans than hire locals.

[Der Nister]

I believe it and know someone that has witnissed a company hire illegals even after they (the company) was raided. I was told by my friend that three months after the first raid he ran into one guy that had been taken away and the guy was using a new name.

That and the fact that a neighbor of my dad has his own lawn service company and only hires mexicans (he admitted it too) so yea, I believe that woman 100%

What's this country coming too?

[Scary Guy]

I thought this was already a part of affirmative action?

[Der Nister]

Well let's just say this - if these companies want to continue to deny work to Americans then real soon these out of work Americans wont be buying their fucking products and they soon will feel the effects of their choices on who works for them.

[Onyx]

No kidding. Cheap labor has killed my position. I used to have a great job but then they figured they could outsource to India for pennies on the dollar. After that they gave upper management raises and cut out our benefit packages.

Now if I did a crap job and the India division did quality work I couldn't complain too loudly, but what actually happened is that they sent the hospital's dictation there to be typed and the docs screamed at us because the stuff was not even readable, so guess who gets to fix their mess that they typed?

14 years with the company -- turning in my notice very soon. I'll be out of there in the next few weeks. I was planning to stay till March but can't stand the crap any longer.

Oddly enough I've been hired by a Canadian company to work remotely. If you can't beat em....

[TitsMcGee]

I can't even find a job where I'm at, and I've been sending applications to work on the island but I don't know if I'll actually get anything. Like I said before they import people. I just know that I need to find a job after the semester is over, since I lose my health insurence I need to make money so I can afford my meds.

[Der Nister]

It's a crying shame that share holders and CEO's think it's best to cut wadges as low as they can (on top of getting rid of jobs) it an effort to only benefit them and their bank accounts.

Are they really that stupid? If you lay off millions of tax paying Americans what do they think will happen?

Let's see.............

People can't afford to buy new cars.

People can't afford to buy a home.

People can't afford to go out for entertainment.

People can't afford anything more than the very basics.

People have trouble making ends meet.

People don't buy as much as they once did.

.......Must be that trickle down theory I've heard so much about. Spread the weath to the already rich and let it casscade down to the middle class and the poor.

YUP - seems to be working just fine.

[Slogo]

What an ass.

I can't say I blame the Mexicans (hell...if the minimum wage in canada was $100 per hour I'd even don a fake accent) but this guy needs to be shutdown

[Reaper]

They are trying to do the same with truck driving jobs. Ever hear of the super highway? People and websites say its a myth, but I talked with a Texas Department of Transportation (state trooper) while down there who works on the border and told me that it is indeed happening. He said they are widening the highway to go from Laredo, over to Houston, then north where the future I-69 highway is going which leads up to Indianapolis and into Canada. The other artery of this super highway is going on up I-35 into Minnesota. Supposedly mexican truckers are going to be allowed to take the freight straight up thru the heart of America and into Canada. I think the US is starting to feel more like a foreign country with so many illegals and people who come here that can't even be close to fluent in the English language. Our own laws and regulations are being used against us.

[Scary Guy]

Our own laws and regulations are being used against us.

Yeah, I was going to say we already get treated like terrorists... and cattle.

[jynxxxedangel]

..and this is why I want to get the fuck OFF this continent. My citizenship has never brought any good into my life-- just a bunch of assholes wanting money I don't have. I was thinking about it earlier, and realized-- I don't HAVE any income, only out-go. Every bit I make goes into bills, and I get nothing but a place to live!

I'm lucky if I get a bite to eat, even. All is lost. Fuck this rock.

[Scary Guy]

"Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We *want* them broken. You'd better get it straight That it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against- then you'll know that this is not the age for beautiful gestures. We're after power and we mean it. You fellows were pikers, but we know the real trick, and you'd better get wise to it. There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of law-breakers - and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Rearden, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with." - Atlas Shrugged

That's the thinking of the corporations and the corporate government. "YOU OWE US". We're just walking bags of cash to them. Not even to the government since they make the money AND set the value of it. Not to mention it isn't backed by anything at all.

We have an oil based economy, how bout an oil note?

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

I thought this was already a part of affirmative action?

White people are not covered by affirmative action.

[jynxxxedangel]

If you really think about it, we are SLAVES.

Our dollar has NO value, as the Federal Reserve does not have the gold or silver to back it.

Think about our tax system, for instance; how many times has that dollar been taxed, before YOU even made it? Hmm? Your boss paid taxes on it, before YOU got it. The people who paid HIM paid taxes on it. And so on, and so on, etc. etc. etc.

Money is just a ghost of a carrot for coal mine donkeys.

It's all a crock of SHIT.

Barter and trade is the ONLY way to get anything worthwhile, these days. At least in MY reality and small place in the world, anyway.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

..and this is why I want to get the fuck OFF this continent. My citizenship has never brought any good into my life-- just a bunch of assholes wanting money I don't have. I was thinking about it earlier, and realized-- I don't HAVE any income, only out-go. Every bit I make goes into bills, and I get nothing but a place to live!

I'm lucky if I get a bite to eat, even. All is lost. Fuck this rock.

Just where exactly do you think you are going to go?

[jynxxxedangel]

Hell, and fast. Oh, wait..I'm already here.

The best thing I can think of about this country, is I have the right to say what I'm saying now. That's all I got.

[Scary Guy]

White people are not covered by affirmative action.

I thought that was the point? Or do you mean white immigrants need rights?

Since when do foreigners get more rights than actual US citizens. That doesn't seem fair at all.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Hell, and fast. Oh, wait..I'm already here.

The best thing I can think of about this country, is I have the right to say what I'm saying now. That's all I got.

We also have the highes standard of living in the world. What we consider "poor" is still "rich" in 90% of the world.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

I thought that was the point? Or do you mean white immigrants need rights?

Since when do foreigners get more rights than actual US citizens. That doesn't seem fair at all.

No, I mean white people in America have less rights than people of color no matter what country they come from. A white person's rights are alway trumped by a person of colors rights. The liberal movement has seen to that.

As to foreigners, see the last sentence in the paragraph above.

[Rev.Reverence]

What an ass.

I can't say I blame the Mexicans (hell...if the minimum wage in canada was $100 per hour I'd even don a fake accent) but this guy needs to be shutdown

...don't ya' know...

[Scary Guy]

We also have the highest standard of living in the world. What we consider "poor" is still "rich" in 90% of the world.

Hate to burst your bubble. While a lot of that statement is true, a lot of it is also false.

[Rev.Reverence]

Hate to burst your bubble. While a lot of that statement is true, a lot of it is also false.

...niiice graffic find!

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Except none of it covers Standard of Living. (BTW, we are #6 on that list)

[jynxxxedangel]

The only American "standard of living" I am painfully aware of, is that a man or woman's human worthiness is gauged by how much money they make.

What good is it to be "free," when the best things in life aren't even free, anymore?

[Slogo]

Except none of it covers Standard of Living. (BTW, we are #6 on that list)

That wouldn't be the highest