Spotlight News 11/15/2018

Costa Rican officials discovered conditions of labor exploitation, including poor working conditions, payment below minimum wage, and minors working dangerous tasks, at pineapple plantations in the Los Chiles region. Labor officials inspected several plantations operated by pineapple companies and found workers living in deplorable conditions that were sometimes forced to work ten-hour days for less than the established minimum wage. Authorities revealed they witnessed employees, including minors, exposed to agro-chemicals without protective equipment. Officials said they also found several inconsistencies in employee’s contracts, including workers not receiving health benefits or being paid for overtime hours. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security states they plan to follow up on the findings with the companies to ensure that compliance with labor regulations is met.

It is likely that nationwide protests in France this weekend will disrupt cargo transportation by truck. Reports indicate that a nationwide protest against French president Macron’s reforms is due to take place this weekend. According to one source, fuel prices are at least one of the motivating factors behind the discontent, and protestors are threatening to block motorways, as well as some access roads including near the Channel Tunnel, a major freight route to the United Kingdom.

U.S. customs officials in San Diego, California shut down several lanes of traffic at the ports of entry in San Ysidro and Otay Mesa to reinforce border security in preparation for the potential arrival of thousands of members of the first migrant caravan in Tijuana. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) closed four northbound lanes at the entry ports on Tuesday to install infrastructure security equipment. BSI expects increased wait times from the closures that will likely cause delays in ground transportation over the next several days. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been an 82 percent increase in confirmed Salmonella infections nationwide linked to an outbreak attributed to contaminated raw turkey. The outbreak initially began in July, when 90 people in 26 states fell ill after consuming infected turkey. Since then, officials have reported 74 additional patients in now 35 states. Approximately 47 percent of infected patients have needed hospital treatment, with one reported death. There have been no recalls on turkey product since the initial outbreak.

Authorities ordered a Montana trucking company to pay $1 million in fines and sentenced its owner to one year in prison following an attempted cover up of a truck explosion using a falsified bill of lading for a shipment of hazardous materials. According to officials, the bulk of the charges stemmed from a 2012 incident where the owner attempted to cover up the fact that the company had transported a hazmat load without proper placards after the unit exploded at an oil recycling plant in Wibaux injuring three workers. Days following the explosion, the owner reportedly told one of his employers to plant a fake bill of lading in the burned out truck. The falsified documents were also submitted to an insurance company and to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)