Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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BOSTON -- Three produce companies operating under common ownership in Connecticut and New York have agreed to repay 61 employees a total of $220,000 in back wages to settle a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor.

"For these low-wage workers to work 20 months without being paid properly is outrageous!" said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "Going after proper payment and back wages for the workers of Greenwich Produce is yet another example of our commitment at the Labor Department to protecting workers."

In a complaint filed in June in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, the Labor Department alleged violations of the minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by: Kim-Choi Corp. of Greenwich, Conn.; Greenwich Produce Corp. of New York City; and Oakridge Produce Corp. of South Salem, N.Y.

The complaint also named the president of these corporations, Jae O. Kim and corporate vice president Hee J. Kim, both of Stamford, Conn. The corporations are engaged in the retail sale of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Each operates under the name of Greenwich Produce.

According to Dianne Miller, district director in Hartford for the department's Wage and Hour Division, the department's complaint alleged that, from June 21, 2000 through Feb. 17, 2002, the defendants failed to pay their employees the federal minimum wage of 5.15 per hour; required employees to work more than 40 hours per week without paying overtime; and failed to maintain adequate and accurate records of the employees' wages, hours and other conditions of employment.

In a consent judgment signed by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill on Nov. 21, the defendants agreed, without admitting liability, to pay the $220,000 in minimum wage and overtime back wages and to comply with the law in the future. The Department of Labor will distribute the back wages to employees.

The Labor Department's legal action followed an investigation by the Hartford district office of the Wage and Hour Division.

For more information on federal minimum wage and overtime pay requirements or other provisions of the FLSA, call the Department of Labor's toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243) or contact the Hartford district office at 860-240-4160. Information is also available on the Internet at: www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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Chao v. Kim-Choi Corp., et al;

Civil Action Number: 3: 02-CV-01139

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