Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SAN FRANCISCO -- A Los Angeles corporation that imports and sells Thai food products nationwide will pay $284,795 in back wages to settle federal charges that it violated the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Bangkok Market, Inc., operators of a retail store at 4757 Melrose Ave., and with main offices and wholesale distribution facilities at 5815 Maywood Ave., Maywood, was named in a federal complaint filed Sept. 25, 2001, following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.

The investigation revealed that some employees were paid $5.00 per hour, and that the company paid all employees a straight hourly rate for all hours worked. The FLSA requires that employees receive at least $5.15 per hour and not less than one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for their work in excess of 40 hours in a workweek

Under the terms of the consent judgment entered in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on March 21, 2002, the company will pay $284,795 in unpaid minimum wages and overtime pay to 39 employees for work performed during the two-year period ending March 1, 2001. By signing the consent judgment, the principals of the corporation agree to adhere to the FLSA in the future.

For more information about the federal wage and hour, or child labor laws, call the Department of Labor's toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243) or contact the Los Angeles district office at 213-894-6375. Information is also available on the Internet at www.dol.gov.

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