State alleges logging labor violations
State officials have found pervasive violations of foreign labor laws by Canadian logging companies operating in Maine and have asked federal regulators to step in.
Canadian firms working in the North Woods routinely engage in illegal practices that discourage Maine loggers from applying for jobs, a state investigation has found, according to a letter from state Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman to the U.S. Department of Labor. A state task force found that firms posted pay rates lower than those paid to Canadian workers, charged Maine laborers fees to enter lands as they sought to apply for jobs, and some lacked permanent physical locations in Maine, which is necessary to hire foreign workers, the letter states.
The state has asked the U.S. Department of Labor to audit the federal H-2A waiver program that allows companies to hire temporary foreign workers when U.S. laborers are unavailable. The state has also filed a formal complaint against one firm alleging the company leased heavy logging equipment from the same foreign contractors it hired to run the machines, according to the letter.
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