Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, DOL NEWS—Labor Department sues Washington beekeeping company, alleges widespread H-2A worker violations, (Jul 30, 2026)

By Brandi O. Brown, J.D.

Among other things, DOL alleges that H-2A workers were housed in an unapproved trailer infested with rats, littered with feces, and with a nonworking toilet, moldy shower, extensive water damage, and inadequate space.

The U.S. Department of Labor has just filed a federal lawsuit against a Washington state beekeeping company—New Generation Beekeeping LLC—and its owner, alleging a broad pattern of labor violations involving H-2A guest workers, including unsafe housing, unpaid wages, retaliation, denial of medical care, and transportation safety failures.

According to the complaint, the beekeeping company employs foreign agricultural workers through the H-2A visa program to raise bee colonies and transport them to farms for crop pollination and honey production. Employers participating in the H-2A program must comply with wage, housing, transportation and workplace-safety requirements and are required to disclose the terms and conditions of employment through certified job orders.

However, federal investigators began examining the company after learning that an H-2A employee nearly lost a finger while using a table saw. Afterwards, DOL alleges, the employer prevented the worker from accessing medical care by denying time off and instructing him to tell healthcare providers that the injury had not occurred at work so that coverage under its workers’ compensation insurance would not be triggered.

According to the complaint, investigators concluded that the company committed at least 23 violations of federal regulations governing the H-2A program.

“Deplorable” housing conditions. Among the most serious allegations are claims involving worker housing. The Labor Department alleges the company housed workers in a “rat-infested trailer without a working toilet” and that they had to sleep outside while traveling outside of the area allowed by the job order.

In the complaint, DOL noted that the trailer, which was not listed on the job order, had not undergone a required pre-occupancy inspection. Investigators described the trailer as unsafe and unsanitary, alleging it contained inadequate sleeping space, low ceiling heights, a moldy shower, a nonfunctional toilet, a broken bed, and a damaged kitchen sink that leaked extensively. Federal officials also alleged the trailer was infested with rats, alleging that “[t]he H-2A employees housed in the trailer found multiple dead rats in rat traps on the stove in a single night and regularly find rat feces throughout the trailer.”

The lawsuit further alleges that workers were required to sleep outdoors or in trucks used to transport beehives during a 21-day period. DOL contends that workers were housed in locations not listed on the company’s certified job order and that state workforce officials were not notified of housing changes as required by federal regulations.

Underpaid. Wage violations also feature prominently in the government’s case. According to the complaint, New Generation Beekeeping failed to pay workers for all hours worked and paid them at rates inconsistent with those promised in certified job orders. Investigators allege employees routinely worked between 50 and 70 hours per week despite job orders indicating a 40-hour workweek. The department also claims workers were paid late, were not fully reimbursed for visa-related expenses and transportation costs and were required to front certain work-related expenses before seeking reimbursement.

The lawsuit alleges the company violated Washington labor laws by failing to pay overtime and by requiring employees to work extended periods without legally required meal breaks. Federal officials contend these practices also violated the company’s obligations under the H-2A program to comply with applicable federal, state and local employment laws.

Failing brakes and outside travel. According to the Labor Department, H-2A workers were assigned to transport large loads of beehives across state lines and worked in California, outside the geographic area identified in the approved job order. Investigators allege workers were required to drive long distances without proper medical certifications, without required rest periods, and while operating vehicles under unsafe conditions. In one incident described in the complaint, a worker allegedly experienced brake failure while driving and was forced to use an exit ramp to slow the vehicle.

Recordkeeping. The department also accuses the company of failing to maintain required payroll and employment records, failing to provide pay statements, and refusing to produce records during the federal investigation. According to the complaint, investigators requested time records on multiple occasions but did not receive them. The lawsuit further alleges that the owner deleted WhatsApp messages, instructed employees to lie to investigators, and encouraged workers to falsify records of hours worked.

2023 investigation. Federal officials contend the alleged violations occurred despite a previous Labor Department investigation. The complaint states that investigators inspected the company in 2023 and found a variety of H-2A violations, including wage, housing and recordkeeping deficiencies. According to the lawsuit, the earlier case resulted in more than $13,000 in back wages and nearly $7,700 in civil money penalties. The department alleges that many of the same issues reappeared after that enforcement action.

Retaliation. The lawsuit further alleges retaliation and discrimination against workers who interacted with federal investigators. According to the complaint, after workers received back wages resulting from the 2023 investigation, the owner allegedly required one employee to give back those wages or risk losing his job. DOL also alleges the owner engaged in intimidation and threats intended to discourage employees from cooperating with investigators or participating in legal proceedings.

As part of the lawsuit, the Labor Department is seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting future violations of H-2A regulations and barring the defendants from participating in the H-2A program for three years following a final judgment. The government is also seeking unpaid wages for affected workers, repayment of wages allegedly recovered from an employee after the prior investigation, litigation costs, and other equitable relief deemed appropriate by the court.

The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Washington; the case is No. 4:26-cv-05124-TOR.

News: LitigationNewsTrends AgencyNews ImmigrationNews Immigration WageHour Safety