Federal regulators introduced that $1.1 million in again wages and damages had been recovered for 165 garment employees in Los Angeles. The settlement got here after regulators reached a settlement with 4 stitching contractors who allegedly tried to cover that they withheld extra time wages.
The settlement is the most important to this point for California garment employees, in accordance with the Division of Labor on Wednesday.
The contractors concerned included these operated by Ramon Tecum, Marisela Romero, and Joseph Delao. The trio owned Good Money LLC and its related entities, Good Money Inc., Premium High quality Attire LLC, and Premium High quality Attire Inc.
Federal investigators allege Tecum, Romero, and Delao had staff working 52 hours every week however didn’t pay extra time wages. They’re additionally accused of forging payroll information and administering pretend checks to hide their unlawful pay strategies.
LAist contacted the legal professional representing the trio by electronic mail, however didn’t obtain a direct response.
Division of Labor legal professional Kari Panaccione mentioned it was stunning to see the lengths the employers went to attempt to keep away from getting caught.
“After we executed the inspection warrant, they really turned off the ability to the ability and advised the workers to depart they usually all rushed out of the constructing,” Panaccione mentioned.
Through the investigation, the division utilized a “sizzling items maintain” on garments made by the contractor’s employees for Past Yoga. The maintain made it unlawful to ship items that violated the Honest Labor Requirements Act or youngster labor legal guidelines inside a 30-day window.
Panaccione mentioned when Past Yoga discovered in regards to the violations, the corporate instantly paid $582,317 in again wages and an equal quantity in damages.
It wasn’t the primary time federal labor regulators encountered Tecum, Romero, and Delao. Panaccione mentioned the trio paid again wages after an investigation revealed they violated the Honest Labor Requirements Act in 2021.
“And right here we had been two years later with details about a number of the identical and a few extra violations that had been taking place,” she mentioned.
Panaccione mentioned garment employees are probably the most weak populations of employees. Federal regulators carried out a garment employee survey in L.A. in 2023 and located that 80% of employees had been being exploited in a roundabout way or one other.
Panaccione reminded employees they’ve the proper to report labor violations to state or federal regulators.
“In the event that they contact us, we’ll do all the pieces we are able to to guard their confidentiality,” she mentioned. “And so they do have the proper underneath the regulation, regardless of the circumstances, to make complaints to us about no matter scenario they’re in, and their employer doesn’t have the authorized potential to punish them in any method for that.”
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