MAINE MONITOR • March 11, 2023
Worcester Resources, the family-owned-for-profit company that supplies Wreaths Across America for military burial grounds, is also proposing to build a $1 billion “Flagpole of Freedom” park in Washington County that the Worcester family says would be “part national monument, part historical adventure, immersive tech-driven museum and architectural wonder.” But behind the scenes is a story of federal labor department fines against Worcester Resources for failing to submit required reports on illnesses and injuries involving the mostly migrant workforce of wreath makers. Worcester has also been penalized for violating rules on workplace safety and housing conditions. The company and its affiliates have been fined more than $21,000 by the federal Department of Labor and its agencies for 10 violations since 2017, records show.