News Release

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ESA News Release: [09/08/2004]
Contact Name: Angie Tang
Phone Number: (212) 337-2387

U.S. Department of Labor Announces New York City Hotline
To Help Chinese Workers with Pay Questions

REACH Line: Rapid Employee Assistance in Chinese Hotline Now Taking Calls

NEW YORK—The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division today announced the establishment of a Chinese language hotline in New York City for workers with questions about their pay. The hotline project is known as REACH, an acronym that stands for Rapid Employee Assistance in Chinese Hotline.

“Low-wage immigrant workers can be vulnerable to exploitation because they are unfamiliar with U.S. labor law protections,” said Alfred B. Robinson, Acting Administrator, Wage and Hour Division. “This hotline will ensure that workers who are far from home have easy access to direct assistance to get the full wages that they are due.”

Chinese-speaking Department of Labor Wage and Hour staff answers the help number (212-264-4175) Monday through Friday. During non-business hours, a recording instructs callers to leave a message in Cantonese, Mandarin, or Fujianese. A Chinese-speaking investigator then promptly responds to provide assistance.

In addition to the hotline, 39 employment agencies serving the Chinese community in New York City have agreed to provide job seekers with information regarding their rights under the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) in Chinese. A new Chinese language Wage and Hour poster explaining the FLSA minimum wage and overtime provisions along with the REACH hotline is being displayed in these agencies. The poster is also being distributed to garment contractors who employ many Chinese-speaking workers. Other information includes a wallet-sized card with the REACH help number.

This worker protection project was initiated when the Wage and Hour Division received information that Chinese workers were being referred by New York City employment agencies to work in locations outside New York State. Once far from home, workers were not being paid properly and had no one to turn to for help. Now they will be able to receive assistance wherever they are working.

The FLSA requires that employees be paid minimum wage; time and one-half their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 per week; and that accurate records are maintained of employees' wages, hours and other conditions of employment.

For more information about the FLSA, call the Labor Department's toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243) or contact the New York City Wage and Hour Division office at 212-264-8185 or the REACH hotline at (212) 264-4175. Information is also available on the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov. For employment agencies or others wishing to participate in this project, please call District Director Philip Jacobson at (212) 264-8185 ext. 222.

Read the fact sheet on Creating Opportunities for the Asian Pacific American Community.

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