Washington Orchard Owners Pay $500,000 to Settle State Wage Suit

The owners of two Washington state orchards have paid $500,000 in back wages to more than 400 workers to settle a lawsuit over improper pay, according to the state’s Department of Labor & Industries Wednesday.

Rene and Carmen Garcia, owners of G&G Orchards Inc. and RC Orchards LLC in Yakima, Wash., allegedly failed to correctly pay workers for the fruit they harvested per their employment contract, and didn’t pay for time spent on the job waiting for machines to be repaired.

In addition to monetary relief, the Garcias must also conduct self audits every six months until 2024, and ...