Lawsuit accuses Tyson Foods of depressing workers' pay by hiring illegal immigrants

<br>CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) _ Tyson Foods Inc. allegedly depressed workers' wages by hiring immigrants known to be illegal, according to a lawsuit filed by four former employees. <br><br>The company

Thursday, April 4th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) _ Tyson Foods Inc. allegedly depressed workers' wages by hiring immigrants known to be illegal, according to a lawsuit filed by four former employees.

The company and six former managers already face a federal indictment accusing them of conspiring to smuggle illegal immigrants to work at 15 plants.

The civil lawsuit, filed Tuesday by former hourly employees of Tyson's Shelbyville plant, accuses the meat company of relying on temporary employment services and on recruiters it says were paid for each illegal immigrant the company hired. Non-Tyson workers in the same communities as the 15 plants received much higher wages, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks class-action status.

``The civil action is going to compensate the innocents who have been devastated by the illegal hiring scheme,'' said John McMahan, a Chattanooga attorney representing one of the plaintiffs. ``It's the only way to hold Tyson accountable.''

Tyson spokesman Ed Nicholson declined comment on the lawsuit.

Tyson, based in Springdale, Ark., is the nation's largest meat company, with 120,000 employees. Executives contend the government's case involves a ``few managers who were acting outside of company policy.'' One executive said the indictment followed the company's refusal to pay the government a $100 million penalty.

The indictment involves plants in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.