"Lawsuit claims Southern Oregon forestry companies failing foreign workers,"

A lawsuit filed earlier this month by former forestry worker Joaquin Barraza-Cortes seeks over $42 million in damages from Ponderosa Reforestation, Ponderosa Timberland and Pine West Reforestation.

The complaint accuses those Rogue Valley forestry companies, which hire foreign workers through the H-2B visa program, of a litany of safety violations including not providing proper training and protective equipment.

In 2022, Barraza-Cortes was hired as a foreign seasonal worker for tree thinning work within the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. While using a chainsaw, without formal training according to the lawsuit, he was severely injured by a falling tree limb, resulting in a spinal cord injury. The complaint claims that Barraza-Cortes has since been unable to work or care for himself.

Barraza-Cortes’ former employer, Ponderosa Timberland, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

His attorney, Mayra Ledesma, said that government contracts for forestry work often go to companies that cut costs and don’t provide proper resources.

...

Lourdes Sanchez, another attorney for Barraza-Cortes, said migrant workers like her client are often deterred from reporting safety violations.

...