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151 Filipino workers get $500,000 in back wages
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Posted on Jul 15 2008
The U.S. Department of Labor is now looking for 151 Filipino construction workers who are owed $500,000 in back wages by a Saipan-based construction company.
The department says the money is now available following an agreement it reached with Sablan Construction Co.
The back wages are owed to 151 workers who were employed by the company between March 19, 1999, and Dec. 7, 2001, and who were not paid overtime wages for all hours worked in accordance with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
“We would like these back wages delivered to the workers who earned them,” said George Friday Jr., western regional administrator of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division. “Anyone knowing of a former worker at this business should encourage that individual to step forward.”
Friday said many of the workers have already left Saipan, often returning to the Philippines, before the agency was able to complete the back wage collection process.
Friday’s office does not have a complete listing of current addresses for all eligible Sablan Construction employees and is working with representatives from the Philippine government to locate and notify workers eligible for the back wage distribution.
Former workers who are listed on the consent judgment filed with the U.S. District Court on Saipan can request back wages by contacting Anna Archila, back wage clerk, via e-mail at archila.anna@dol.gov, by phone at 415-625-7697 or by fax at 415-625-7699.
The FLSA requires that covered, nonexempt employees receive overtime at one and one-half times their regular rates of pay for hours worked beyond 40 per week. Employers must also maintain accurate time and payroll records.
Information about the FLSA is available on the Wage and Hour Division’s home page at www.wagehour.dol.gov, by calling the division toll-free at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or by calling the division’s office on Saipan at 670-233-0740. [B][I](Saipan Tribune)[/I][/B]
[B]CONTACT INFO[/B]
Anna Archila, back wage clerk
-e-mail: archila.anna@dol.gov,
-phone: 415-625-7697
-fax: 415-625-7699
