Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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HAMMONTON, N.J. -- Columbia Fruit Farms Inc. and its owners Anthony and William Di Meo have agreed to pay $45,000 in civil monetary penalties and interest after a U.S. Labor Department investigation found the Hammonton blueberry farm in violation of the federal Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA) and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

An investigation conducted from June 2005 through July 2005 by the department’s Wage and Hour Division determined that the farm was housing more than 300 migrant farm workers in a camp with a maximum capacity of 197. Investigators also found that 16 workers were not being paid the federal minimum wage and the farm was not maintaining proper time and payroll records.

“The overall camp conditions were deplorable, with overcrowded and less than sanitary facilities,” said Dominick Denato, district director of the Wage and Hour Division’s office covering southern New Jersey, which conducted the investigation. “We are pleased that the employer made the necessary changes to improve housing conditions for workers at the camp.”

MSPA protects migrant and seasonal agricultural workers by establishing employment standards related to wages, housing, transportation, disclosures and recordkeeping. MSPA also requires farm labor contractors to register with the U.S. Department of Labor. The FLSA requires employees to be paid the federal minimum wage for all hours worked and, unless exempt, time-and-one-half their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 per week. Employers must also maintain accurate time and payroll records.

The Wage and Hour Division concluded 31,987 compliance actions in fiscal year 2006 and recovered more than $171 million in back wages for more than 246,000 employees. Back-wage collections last year represent a 30 percent increase over back wages collected in fiscal year 2001. The number of workers receiving back wages has increased by 14 percent since fiscal year 2001.

For more information about the FLSA and MSPA, call the Department of Labor’s toll-free help line at 1 (866) 4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also on the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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