Archived News Release--Caution: information may be out of date.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

OPA Press Release: Labor Department Releases Fourth Quarter '98 Garment Enforcement Report [03/04/1999]

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The U.S. Department of Labor recovered $ 606,722 in back wages for 1,761 garment workers during July, August and September 1998, for minimum wage and overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), according to the department's latest Garment Enforcement Report.

The largest case included in today's report involved Lonestar Sportswear, a sewing shop in Ridgewood, N.Y., which violated the overtime provisions by failing to pay its employees time-and-a-half for working more than 40 hours in a week. Following intervention by the department, Lonestar paid $28,068 in back wages to 128 workers.

"We continue to focus on low wage workers and recover wages when they have been treated unfairly," said Labor Secretary Alexis M. Herman. "The garment industry is doing a better job but we continue to find employers who think they can get away with not paying workers their due."

During the last quarter of fiscal 1998, the department's Wage and Hour division conducted 154 investigations, finding violations in 98 of those cases. The department also assessed $192,095 in civil money penalties for repeat and willful violations of the minimum wage and overtime law.

The quarterly report lists 51 contractors and 104 manufacturers. The New York region had the most investigations at 76; California had the most investigations with violations, 44; the most back wages recovered, $353,460 for 722 employees; and the most civil money penalties assessed, $132,195.

The department began issuing quarterly garment enforcement reports in May 1996 to provide retailers and consumers with information about which contractors violate the minimum wage and overtime law and which manufacturers were doing business with them.

The garment enforcement reports are available on Internet at the Labor Department's home page, www.dol.gov.

Archived News Release--Caution: information may be out of date.