White immigrants hired over Black Americans: Mississippi farm workers file lawsuit

Six farmworkers in Mississippi file a lawsuit against their former employer for bringing white immigrants from South Africa to do the same jobs they were doing. The workers also accuse the employer of violating federal law and paying the white immigrants more for the same work. The federal lawsuit was filed by Mississippi Center for Justice and Southern Migrant Legal Services on behalf of the workers against Pitts Farm Partnership that grows cotton, soybean and corn in Mississippi. 

According to the lawsuit, the farm violates the regulation of the foreign worker visa program which mandates that all US workers and immigrant workers be treated the same. The workers now seek an unspecified amount in damages including the money the workers missed out on due to the uneven pay scale. The white immigrant workers were paid $9.87 per hour in 2014 which increased almost every year until it reached $11.83 in 2020. The lawsuit also raises allegations against the Pitts family who hired a white supervisor who occasionally raised racial slurs at workers. 

Source: CBS News