Migrant workers in Savannah, Ga., receive $580K settlement for back wages, damages

Last April, a group of Chinese migrants walked into the office of a Savannah, Ga., nonprofit with a harrowing tale: They had come to the U.S. to work at a warehouse, loading and unloading trucks, but were still waiting on a first paycheck one month after starting their jobs.

“They were being victims of wage theft and labor trafficking,” said Daniela Rodriguez, executive director of Migrant Equity Southeast, the immigrant-serving organization that the workers sought out for help.

Following a monthslong court battle, the company that operated the warehouse, Egreen Transportation Corp., agreed earlier this year to settle with workers for $580,000, covering back wages and damages. Although only 13 immigrant workers initially reached out to Migrant Equity Southeast for assistance, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation uncovered a much wider network of abuse.

A total of 48 Savannah-based workers are entitled to a settlement payout, as are others in California and New Jersey.

According to the Sur Legal Collaborative, an Atlanta-based legal nonprofit that helped represent the Savannah workers, the men who were awarded back wages hailed from China and Latin America. Some are unauthorized immigrants while others are documented.

For those workers who lack legal status, being victims of labor exploitation could make them eligible for a visa and a pathway to citizenship, a Sur Legal attorney told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

For Rodriguez, what occurred at two Egreen-run warehouses in Savannah could presage an increase in labor exploitation and trafficking in the region going forward, as a proliferation of factories and warehouses in coastal Georgia increases the demand for lower-wage manual labor.

“The more Savannah grows and becomes industrialized, the more warehouses there are. Of course, it means economic growth, but it also means a higher risk for labor injustices, especially to vulnerable populations,” Rodriguez said.

According to a January report from the Savannah Morning News, manufacturing in the city grew by 25% over the past two years, driven by the expansion of the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. and the start of Hyundai’s Metaplant in Bryan County.

As that manufacturing growth coincides with an immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump that is spreading fear among immigrant communities, Rodriguez said exploited immigrant workers may in the future prove more reticent to approach police or other government officials for help. Because many investigations into labor abuse start with worker complaints, that could make achievements like the Egreen settlement harder to come by.

Coming forward “takes courage,” Rodriguez said. “We’ll continue to remind workers in coastal Georgia that they have rights, no matter who’s president.”

Egreen did not return a request for comment from the AJC. The company describes itself as an international freight logistics business, with branches in major Chinese port cities.

According to a report from news station WTOC, many of the Chinese warehouse workers went through a 45-day journey to reach the U.S., having been promised housing and work in Savannah.

Their life in Georgia quickly turned in unexpected ways.

The housing consisted of overcrowded apartments, and they were charged rent, according to Sur Legal and Migrant Equity Southeast. Plus, they were coerced to work 12-hour days and denied payment.

By mid-April, workers filed two reports with the Savannah Police Department, where they referred to the situation they were living through as “human trafficking.” They also went on strike and refused to go back to work until they received payment for back wages.

By the time they contacted Migrant Equity Southeast, workers were on the verge of losing their housing. The nonprofit mobilized to help them meet basic needs for food and shelter. They also connected them with legal services.

In a lawsuit against Egreen filed on Jan. 15, the Department of Labor alleged that the company had committed wage, overtime and recordkeeping violations. The complaint also stated that Egreen had illegally retaliated against employees and interfered with the agency’s investigations by directing employees to not cooperate. According to WTOC, the company had threatened to report employees to law enforcement agencies in an attempt to use their lack of legal status against them.

As part of the $580,000 settlement, Egreen denies that it acted illegally. The money it has agreed to pay covers back wages, punitive damages for retaliation and damages for emotional distress, according to the settlement. The company must also provide its managers training on the Fair Labor Standards Act, and it must allow the Department of Labor to enter its facilities to educate workers on their rights.

“This case is especially important under these current times where there has been an ongoing issue of fraudulent employment promises made to new, often desperate, asylum-seeking migrants,” Connie Chung Joe, of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said in a statement. “This case highlights those unscrupulous businesses and sends a clear message that they cannot prey on and exploit migrants with their illegal practices.”

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