A California-based company that supplies migrant workers from Thailand and the Philippines has shut down its Hawai'i operations under a Circuit Court order, causing more than 100 employees to stay away from 10 Island farms yesterday.

Judge Victoria Marks granted a request for a preliminary injunction against Global Horizons Inc. for allegedly failing to provide workers' compensation insurance for at least 102 Hawai'i farm workers, which yesterday meant new worries for farmers across the Islands.

The loss of Global Horizon workers caused disruptions at a number of farms around the state, but most farm operators said they would find a way to harvest their crops.

Teena Rasmussen, who owns Paradise Flower Farms in Kula, Maui, with her husband, Craig, hoped yesterday to begin harvesting 20,000 roses and carnations to be turned into 400 lei.

But the four workers supplied by Global Horizons failed to show up for work yesterday.

"We are keeping our fingers crossed we can get the crop off" today, Rasmussen said. "If not, a whole lot of office people are going to be picking flowers. We've got to harvest (by today) no matter what."

Global Horizon officials did not respond to requests for interviews yesterday.

Bob Dove, CEO and president of HEMIC, Hawai'i's largest writer of workers' compensation insurance, acknowledged that his company is in contact with Global Horizon officials.

"We are working with Global Horizon, but to date we do not have enough information to determine a fair premium," Dove said. "We expect that in a few days, based on their promises to supply that information, that we might be able to provide a quote within a few days."

The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations found that Global Horizon did not have workers' compensation insurance from October 2005 to January and fined the Santa Monica-based company $178,890 in penalties. Global Horizon acquired insurance through the Commerce & Industry Insurance Co. of New Jersey, but then had its policy canceled in March, labor department records show. The documents do not cite a reason for the cancellation.

With no workers' compensation coverage from April to June 12, the labor department fined Global Horizon another $56,000.

"Additional penalties are gathering," department spokesman James Hardway said. "What's paramount here is that they provide workers' comp insurance for these guys and women who are working in strenuous conditions on farms and need the necessary coverage."

Along with the investigation by Hawai'i labor officials, Global also has been scrutinized and penalized for a variety of alleged violations by the U.S. Department of Labor, California state labor commissioner and Washington state Department of Labor and Industries, which revoked Global's labor contractor license on Dec. 30.

In Hawai'i, state officials also cited Global for alleged housing problems on eight farms — accusations the company disputes and may contest at a Hawai'i Labor Relations Board appeal, Hardway said.

The farm workers were admitted into the country on temporary work visas and the court-ordered suspension of Global Horizon's operations means "the workers, unfortunately, are in limbo at this point," Hardway said. "We're hoping this will all be a moot point and Global can acquire workers' compensation insurance by the end of the week."

Rasmussen said the workers are "great, wonderful guys. They want to work. They want to work hard. They don't care about any of this political stuff. They just want to work and send their money back home."

Larry Jefts, who owns Jefts Farm on O'ahu and is listed by the labor department as Waikele Farms Inc., was uncertain yesterday what the sudden loss of Global Horizon workers meant for his operation.

"We're disappointed that the men didn't show," Jefts said. "They were the last resort and we may have to do something else. But that doesn't mean there'll be an interruption from our farm to the marketplace."

The loss comes as Hawai'i's unemployment rate remains one of the lowest in the country.

"It's impossible to hire replacements," Rasmussen said. "Maui has the lowest unemployment rate of the state and everyone on Maui is looking for workers. We're competing for hotel jobs and construction jobs and we have a hard time competing when the work we do is outside and it's hot.

"We're going to have to scramble to do whatever we can short-term," she said. "But long-term, we're going to have to find a source for labor. If not, there's going to be some serious consequences to our farms."

Sandra Lee Kunimoto, chairwoman of the state Board of Agriculture, said she hopes the loss of Global workers will be temporary and won't cause much of a hardship on farmers — or supplies and prices.

"Labor is a critical issue for farms, given our very, very low unemployment rate," Kunimoto said. "But farmers will do everything they can do to bring their crops in. Each farmer will make the adjustments to bring their crops in and fulfill their obligations to their customers."

In a statement, Labor Director Nelson Befitel said, "We are aware that this action may affect the migrant workers and Hawai'i farmers. However, we were compelled to take this action out of concern for the health and welfare of these immigrant workers. It's our responsibility to ensure that each worker is afforded the rights and benefits they are entitled to under our laws."

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.