Attorney General Ellison Obtains Protection for Dairy Workers in Major Wage Theft Case
SAINT PAUL, MN
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced today that his office has reached an agreement with Evergreen Acres Dairy, Evergreen Estates, Morgan Feedlots and dairy operation owners Keith Schaefer and Megan Hill that protects Evergreen workers by ensuring that Evergreen complies with Minnesota Housing, Habitability and Employment Law. The settlement resolves the attorney general’s lawsuit against the farm for systematically withholding workers’ wages and illegally deducting rent from workers’ wages for substandard housing.
As part of the settlement, Evergreen will pay $250,000 in back wages to workers and will continue to improve employee housing to meet standards. The Attorney General will supervise Evergreen for a three-year period and must allow the Attorney General’s staff to inspect employee housing and obtain various wage and hour records from Evergreen. If Evergreen violates any of the terms of the agreement, it will be subject to an additional $250,000 civil penalty.
Additionally, the Attorney General obtained a legally binding commitment from Evergreen that workers will have access to legal services and will be provided with proper documentation of their wages and hours, as required by law. You also warrant that Evergreen will maintain all employee records as required by law and will not make deductions from any employee’s wages without the employee’s written permission. The agreement further guarantees that Evergreen will communicate these changes to its employees in English and Spanish.
Attorney General Ellison presented the demand against Evergreen in January 2024 after dozens of worker complaints about wage theft and poor quality worker housing. Attorney General Ellison alleged in the lawsuit that Evergreen systematically deprived its low-wage dairy employees of the wages they earned by deducting regular hours and overtime from workers’ paychecks, failing to pay wages owed up front. and by ending workers’ employment and illegally deducting rent from substandard workplace housing that did not meet habitability standards under Minnesota law. For example, some workers lived in garages, haphazardly converted barns, and other buildings unfit for human habitation. Some employees lived in housing without a bathroom at the workplace.
In March 2024, Attorney General Ellison announced that he had obtained a temporary stipulated injunction, in which Evergreen agreed to properly pay workers and improve housing conditions while the lawsuit continued.
“Farmworkers like these Evergreen dairy workers are an important part of our economy and deserve to be able to live with dignity, safety and respect. “Today we are sending a strong message: dairy farms like Evergreen and all Minnesota employers cannot illegally profit at the expense of workers,” said Attorney General Ellison. “This agreement not only protects farm workers from exploitation, but it also protects other compliant producers from being harmed by competitors who do not pay employees what they are legally entitled to.”
Attorney General Keith Ellison expressed his gratitude to the workers who came forward to report violations committed by Evergreen. “If it were not for the brave workers who came forward, despite threats from Evergreen, to hold this company accountable, we would never have been able to investigate this case and reach this settlement agreement. “We hope to continue working with the victims to help them recover their integrity,” concluded Attorney General Ellison.
Attorney General Ellison’s settlement with Evergreen is part of a broad initiative to combat wage theft in Minnesota. Workers with concerns or complaints about systematic violations of state and federal wage laws can contact the Attorney General’s Office through its online complaint form (available in Spanish or English). The Attorney General’s Office can also be contacted at (651) 296-3353 (metropolitan area) or (800) 657-3787 (Minnesota metropolitan area). Spanish-speaking staff from the Attorney General’s Office are available.
