SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Four Indonesian villagers who say they were subjected to physical abuse and forced labor while working as fishermen for San Diego-based Bumble Bee Foods sued the canned tuna company Wednesday in what is believed to be a first-of-its-kind forced labor case against an American seafood company.
The complaint filed in San Diego federal court claims the men accepted jobs on fishing vessels within Bumble Bee's supply chain after promises of good wages, only to endure violent abuse on a daily basis and requirements to work even after suffering serious injuries on the job.
Three of the plaintiffs allege they were beaten or stabbed, or both, by the ship's captain, while the fourth man claims he suffered serious, permanent burn injuries in an accident but was denied medical care nor allowed to leave the ship.
The men were also not allowed to quit because doing so would mean they owed money to their employers, who imposed fees, deductions and penalties on their wages, the complaint alleges.
Bumble Bee representatives said the company will not comment on pending litigation.
Agnieszka Fryszman, one of the attorneys representing the men, said they were denied sufficient food and medical care and were essentially held against their will aboard the vessels.
"These men were looking for good jobs so they could provide for their families and build a future," Fryszman said. "Instead, they allege, they were trapped -- isolated at sea, beaten with metal hooks, not getting enough food, working around the clock -- and facing financial penalties if they tried to leave."
One of the plaintiffs, Akhmad, said he was forced to work for two weeks after his leg was cut open from thigh to shin, exposing his bone. He was not provided medical care and had to tend to his injuries on his own, he alleges.
Another man, Angga, allegedly endured beatings and was stabbed with a needle while on board. He and other crew members were only allowed to leave after arranging a work stoppage, but Angga later learned that none of the pay he was supposed to receive for "many months" of work was ever sent to his family, the complaint states.
The lawsuit alleges Bumble Bee's network of fishing vessels operated by keeping boats at sea more or less perpetually, which left the men "isolated, at the mercy of the captain and cut off from sources of potential assistance."
The complaint seeks not only damages for the men but also measures to ensure workers within Bumble Bee's network of fishing vessels are paid in full, receive adequate food and medical care, and that ships return to port at least every three months or less.
Fryszman said, "Our clients are seeking justice not only for themselves but to implement changes that will protect other fishers, including men at sea right now on the same boats."
Copyright 2025, City News Service, Inc.
