ME court fines Canadian logging cos.
An Aroostook County Superior Court judge has fined three Canadian logging companies $1,000 each for violating state labor laws by failing to show ownership of equipment.
Justice Allen Hunter approved a final consent decree against A.D. Logging Inc., B.J. Jalbert Inc., and S.L. Logging Inc. in a case brought against them by Maine Attorney General Janet Mills last year, according to The Associated Press. Mills said the companies, which listed their place of business as Fort Kent, tried to circumvent equipment ownership rules by incorporating in Maine and leasing equipment from their Canadian companies, according to the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. Hal Stewart, an attorney for the companies, said his clients did nothing wrong when they incorporated in the United States and made their wives owners of the American-based operations, but they agreed to the decree in order to move on.
Canadian logging companies operating in northern Maine have come under fire in the past year for allegedly hiring Canadian workers instead of seeking domestic labor, a violation of federal labor laws. Last year, the U.S. Department of Labor banned two other companies from hiring foreign workers through the federal H-2A visa program for one year.
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