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Forum will examine perils of forest work.

Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)
Publication Date: 31-JAN-07 		Format: Online
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Full Article Title: Forum will examine perils of forest work.(Agriculture)(Federal officials come to Eugene to hear about the exploitation of laborers)

Article Excerpt
Byline: Diane Dietz The Register-Guard

Mexican workers have largely taken over the arduous job of tree planting, thinning and clearing in Northwest forests - public and private - creating a perennial crop of problems that will be examined at a federal hearing today in Eugene.

The workers' willingness to accept low wages and tolerate sometimes dangerous conditions allows some contractors to offer their labor at low rates, industry officials say.

To fulfill rock-bottom bids, these unscrupulous contractors then cheat workers out of wages, indenturing them by charging for food, lodging and the use of tools, critics say. In the meantime, workers are injured and occasionally die in the woods because of a lack of standard safety gear, such as goggles while working with chain saws, and seat belts in vehicles, critics say.

It amounts to a mobile sweatshop hidden from public...

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