Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Information obtained through the toll-free helpline known as EMPLEO (Employment Education and Outreach) resulted in a Huntington Park garment contractor paying 124 workers $60,205 in unpaid wages and overtime pay. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that Corin Sewing Contractor did not pay its employees the minimum wage or an overtime premium.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that non-exempt employees be paid no less than the federal minimum wage and one and one-half times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 per week. In this case, the firm paid machine operators either a set amount for each article of clothing produced, known as a piece rate, or a flat daily rate. When the piece-rate pay did not at least equal the federal minimum wage, the employer failed to make up the difference to the workers. The employer also failed to pay the overtime premium when employees worked more than forty hours in a workweek.

Corin Sewing Contractor produces men’s and women’s jeans. The investigation covered hours worked between April 20, 2003 and April 10, 2005.

"The Department of Labor is committed to investigating EMPLEO referrals. Calls to the toll free helpline most often benefit low-wage and immigrant workers, a population vulnerable to workplace exploitation," said George Friday Jr., regional administrator of the Wage and Hour Division. Friday said that calls to the EMPLEO line have helped recover almost $3.1 million for 1,702 employees since the program began a year ago.

The EMPLEO toll-free help line, 1-877-55-AYUDA (877-552-9832), serves the greater Los Angeles area providing information on workplace concerns to employees, as well as employers, in Spanish. Callers are assisted by volunteers who refer them to the appropriate EMPLEO partner. The partners include the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division and Occupational Safety and Health Administration; the California divisions of Labor Standards Enforcement and Occupational Safety and Health; the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the Diocese of San Bernardino; the consulates of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica; the Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Coalition of Human Immigration Rights.

The department’s Wage and Hour Division recovered nearly $200 million in back wages in fiscal year 2004 for more than 288,000 workers. For more information about the FLSA, call the East Los Angeles 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.