YAKIMA — Dozens of cherry pickers have filed a lawsuit against the owners of a Yakima Valley farm contending they were fired after complaining that their pay was lowered partway through the harvest.
Columbia Legal Services filed the federal court lawsuit on Tuesday.
The workers allege that Upland Vineyards offered $3.25 per bucket of cherries for three days of the June 2014 harvest, then lowered the price without warning on the fourth day.
The Yakima Herald-Republic reports the lawsuit contends that nearly 70 workers were fired and run off the property when they complained about the change.
Brendan Monahan, a Yakima attorney representing Upland, disputed the allegations. He says the drop in pay came when the harvest switched from one type of cherry to another.
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