Their shifts lasted up to 14 hours including the journey to and from the hen houses, said union leader Sergio Bolzan in a telephone interview. JBS is a primary defendant and four outsourcing companies are co-defendants in the suit, documents show. The suit claims workers did not get enough rest time, were not fully paid upon dismissal and did not get extra pay for performing hazardous work. Bolzan said evidence of alleged exploitation surfaced in April when he paid a surprise visit to where some catchers were being housed to document the conditions. Bolzan shared his concerns with labor prosecutors, who confirmed preliminary investigations into the matter, including whether catchers were employed "off the books."

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Persons: Sergio Bolzan, JBS, Bolzan, Ana Mano, Brad Haynes, Mark Potter Organizations: SAO PAULO, JBS SA, Thomson Locations: Sidrolandia, Mato Grosso, Sul