Washington State Files Lawsuit Against Cornerstone Ranches for Unlawful Treatment of Local Farmworkers

Strategic Insights -

Attorney General Nick Brown filed a civil rights lawsuit against Toppenish-based Cornerstone Ranches and its affiliates, alleging the hops and apple grower discriminated against local and female farmworkers by unlawfully terminating them and replacing them with foreign H-2A agricultural workers. The lawsuit claims that Cornerstone held local workers to unfair productivity standards and other requirements not applied to H-2A workers, laid off local workers while H-2A employees continued to work, and regularly reduced local workers' hours and schedules. The state alleges that Cornerstone's actions dramatically reduced its female workforce in violation of the Washington Law Against Discrimination.

Key Takeaways:

  • Cornerstone Ranches and its affiliates allegedly discriminated against local and female farmworkers by unlawfully terminating them and replacing them with foreign H-2A agricultural workers.
  • During the fall harvest season of 2021, local workers performed about 91% of farm labor hours at Cornerstone Ranches, but by the same period two years later, their share of the work had shrunk to 59%.
  • The number of H-2A workers that Cornerstone hired more than doubled from 2021 to 2023, all while telling local workers that no work was available.
  • The average weekly hours worked by females in Cornerstone's farm labor workforce dropped by 39% when comparing June 2022 to April 2023 with the same period a year later.
  • All of the H-2A agricultural workers that replaced them were male.
  • Cornerstone allegedly violated the Consumer Protection Act by misleading local job seekers, failing to disclose the pay rate and hours of H-2A contract jobs to local workers, and offering local workers benefits, wages, guarantee of hours, and working conditions inferior to those offered to H-2A workers.
  • The Widget Luke Civil Rights Division, which enforces state and federal anti-discrimination laws, is handling the case for Washington state.
  • The Attorney General's Office wants to hear from people who worked at Cornerstone since 2020 and is seeking relief for Washingtonians who were harmed.

Statistics:

  • 91% of farm labor hours at Cornerstone Ranches were performed by local workers during the fall harvest season of 2021.
  • By the same period two years later, the share of the work performed by local workers had shrunk to 59%.
  • The number of H-2A workers that Cornerstone hired more than doubled from 2021 to 2023.
  • The average weekly hours worked by females in Cornerstone's farm labor workforce dropped by 39% when comparing June 2022 to April 2023 with the same period a year later.
  • 1 million pounds of hops and 30 million pounds of apples are produced by Cornerstone Ranches every year.

Sources:

  • Washington State News
  • Attorney General Nick Brown's statement
  • Wing Luke Civil Rights Division