Farmworker Wage Claims Fall Under Arbitration Clause, Court Says

A farmworker’s wage-and-hour claims fall within the scope of his arbitration agreement with Elkhorn Packing Co. LLC, which recruited him from Mexico for seasonal work in the US, a federal judge in California said.

Dario Martinez-Gonzalez must arbitrate his claims against Elkhorn and D’Arrigo Brothers, which owned the lettuce farm where he worked, because the agreement’s broad scope encompasses the allegations in his latest complaint, the US District Court for the Northern District of California said.

Martinez-Gonzales alleges the defendants failed to pay minimum wage and overtime and or provide proper meal and rest breaks. Elkhorn was also ...