The seed company, DuPont Pioneer, is being sued by migrant workers for being underpaid. A major seed company, DuPont Pioneer is being sued by more than 30 migrant farm workers who say they were underpaid while removing tassels from corn in southwestern Michigan.
The workers are mostly from Texas and were hired in 2012 to work in Cass County. Detasseling is hot, labor-intensive work that occurs while the corn still is in the ground.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Grand Rapids, accuses Johnston, Iowa-based DuPont Pioneer and two recruiters of violating federal wage and migrant labor laws. The allegations include poor housing, unsafe transportation to the fields and inadequate water.
DuPont Pioneer was formerly called Pioneer Hi-Bred and is part of Wilmington, Delaware-based DuPont Co.
The seed company denies the allegations. A court filing last week says all parties "remain open" to a settlement.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.