Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Reuben’s Garment Cutting and Marking has paid $66,066 in overtime back wages to 57 employees following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.

“This action reflects the Department of Labor’s commitment to protect overtime rights and ensure that workers receive the wages they have earned,” said George Friday, Jr., regional administrator in San Francisco for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. “In this case the employees were not properly paid for all the hours they worked, and we were able to recover more than $66,000 in back wages for them.”

Investigators discovered that between June 2004 and June 2006 the cutters, fusers, spreaders and bundlers did not receive overtime pay after working more than 40 hours in a workweek. The garment contractor, with locations in Los Angeles and Monterey Park, also failed to properly record the hours of work for these employees. The company used a second time card for each employee on Saturdays and paid employees in cash for work performed that day. Reuben Carrillo of Montebello, is the company president.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires covered employees be paid no less than the federal minimum wage and one and one-half times their regular pay rate for hours worked over 40 per week. Employers must maintain adequate and accurate records of employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment.

The West Covina office of the Wage and Hour Division became aware of the employer’s pay practice through the Employment Education and Outreach (EMPLEO) initiative. The EMPLEO partnership assists Spanish-speaking workers and employers with work-related concerns through an alliance of organizations and government agencies. This alliance, which includes the Wage and Hour Division, has established a local toll-free help line, (877) 55-AYUDA, or (877) 552-9832. Callers to the help line are assisted by volunteers who refer them to the appropriate EMPLEO partner for assistance.

The Wage and Hour Division offers a Web site to help employers, www.wagehour.dol.gov. The site provides more information about the FLSA and an on-line tool for determining overtime eligibility -- the elaws FLSA Overtime Security Advisor – at www.dol.gov/elaws/overtime.htm.

The Wage and Hour Division recovered more than $171 million in back wages for over 246,000 workers and assessed nearly $7.9 million in civil money penalties in federal fiscal year 2006. For more information about the FLSA, call the West Covina Wage and Hour office at (626) 966-0478 or the Department of Labor's toll-free help line at 1-866-4US WAGE (1-866-487-9243). Information is also available on the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance.