50-plus alien workers worry about the wages owed them

Over 50 former workers of a now defunct garment company complained yesterday about a Department of Labor order giving them 45 days to transfer to new employers, saying it provided no assurance that they will get their wage claims.

Some of the N.E.T. Corp. workers also decried the Labor Hearing Office’s instruction that disallows them from being hired by employers other than the garment industry.

Issued on Nov. 15, the order resolves the compliance agency case that arose from the April closure of N.E.T. Corp., which did business as Pacific Coast.

In the order, hearing officer Herbert D. Soll said all the 364 known employees of N.E.T. Corp. are “entitled to other garment industry employment.” He gave the workers 45 days to find new employers and to have those employers file an employment application for them.

These employees include the 112 alien workers earlier reported to be owed $110,800 in back wages. To date, some of the back wages have been paid, while about $35,000 remain to be settled.

After receiving their copy of the order yesterday, the workers started pelting Labor director Dean Tenorio and the department’s legal counsel, Kevin Lynch, with questions regarding their wage claims and other things.

They were concerned how they would be able to collect their unpaid wages, should they not be able to find a new employer within the given 45-day period.

Some workers also took issue with the policy limiting their transfer rights within the garment industry.

At least one worker, Virgilio Gonzaga, said he has found a non-garment employer who is interested in hiring him.

Gonzaga used to work as driver for N.E.T. Corp. After the garment company shut down in April, he started working as plumber for Christine’s Market on a temporary work authorization. He said the business wants to hire him permanently now that he has a labor order allowing him to transfer. The only obstacle, he added, is the order prohibiting him from transferring to a company outside the garment industry.

“The work that I did for N.E.T. Corp. is not really specific to the garment industry. I worked as a driver, and there just aren’t that many similar positions currently available in the garment industry,” Gonzaga said.

Further, the workers reported that the contact number given to them during the Nov. 3 hearing does not work. Slips of paper bearing the number were distributed to the workers during the hearing to enable them to follow up directly on their wage claims with N.E.T. Corp.’s successor in interest, Paul Zak.

The number, however, turned out to be a facsimile number.

For their part, Labor department officials assured the workers that they will be paid whether or not they are on island after the 45-day period.

Lynch said that for several years now, the department has been remitting wage payments to nonresident workers who have returned to their country of origin or otherwise left the Commonwealth. He said the workers only need to leave their address and other contact details with the department before departing.

He could not say, however, how long it will take for the workers to receive their money.

As for the garment-to-garment transfer, Lynch said the department recognizes that there may be cases where workers find employers outside the industry. He said the department will look at the matter on a case-by-case basis and urged workers to contact the department for any clarification.