Waste Management to Pay for Hiring Undocumented Workers

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston said Wednesday that a Waste Management subsidiary employed at least three managers at a West Texas waste site who actively encouraged the hiring of workers in the country illegally between 2003 and April 2012.

According to reports, Waste Management has agreed to pay the federal government $5.5 million to settle allegations that it made a practice of using labor in the U.S. illegally.

Waste Management of Texas released the following statement on Thursday:

Waste Management of Texas is pleased to resolve this matter.

When we were alerted in 2012 to the actions by three of our employees and a temporary staffing agency, we conducted an internal investigation and fully cooperated with the government and law enforcement. The three employees involved intentionally broke pre-existing immigration compliance rules, in clear disregard of company policies. Those employees were fired, and we terminated our relationship with the temporary staffing agency involved.

There is now an enhanced compliance program in place designed to uncover undocumented workers who seek to be involved in our operations—either directly as employees or indirectly as employees of our suppliers of temporary labor. The compliance program specifically seeks to stop identity fraud or other unlawful activity and monitors staffing agencies hired to provide temporary workers.

Waste Management of Texas intends to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again. 

Houston Public Media has more:

Waste Management has agreed to pay the federal government $5.5 million to settle allegations that it made a practice of using labor in the U.S. illegally.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston said Wednesday that a Waste Management subsidiary employed at least three managers at a West Texas waste site who actively encouraged the hiring of workers in the country illegally between 2003 and April 2012.

Homeland Security investigators found 16 such workers at the Afton, Texas, site. At least 100 workers in company records were verified as fraudulently documented or using identities not belonging to them.

Read the full article here.