The U.S. Department of Labor has secured a $3,360,000 consent judgment against the developer of the Imperial Pacific Resort Hotel and Casino in Garapan for minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act by contractors working on the construction project.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Entered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, the judgment orders Hong Kong-based Imperial Pacific International Holdings, and its Saipan subsidiary Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), to pay $3,160,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to approximately 1,100 employees. The developer must also pay $200,000 in civil money penalties.<\/p>\n
The settlement follows an investigation by the Department\u2019s Wage and Hour Division that found wage violations occurred when foreign-based construction subcontractors failed to pay their workforce required overtime premium rates for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. Investigators also found some of the subcontractors\u2019 day rates placed employees\u2019 earnings below federal minimum wage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis judgment demonstrates the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s strong commitment to ensuring employees receive the wages they have earned,\u201d said\u00a0Wage and Hour Division District Director Terence Trotter in Honolulu, Hawaii. \u201cWe will continue to enforce the law and level the playing field, while simultaneously encourage employers and employees to call us for assistance, and use the wide variety of\u00a0tools\u00a0we provide. Violations like those found in this investigation can be avoided.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Department\u2019s Office of the Solicitor litigated this case.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition to providing $3,360,000 in unpaid wages, liquidated damages, and penalties, this judgment orders the defendants to adhere to an independent monitoring mechanism, and to take additional steps to safeguard the wages and working conditions of employees,\u201d said Regional Solicitor Janet Herold in San Francisco. \u201cRegardless of where work is performed in the U.S. or its territories, the U.S. Department of Labor will continue to fully and fairly enforce the law and provide a level playing field for employers.\u201d<\/p>\n
To date,\u00a0the department has found approximately $17.3 million\u00a0for more than 2,500 employees working on the Saipan hotel and casino project.<\/p>\n
Employers who discover overtime or minimum wage violations may\u00a0self-report and resolve\u00a0those violations without litigation through the\u00a0PAID program.\u00a0For more information about the\u00a0FLSA\u00a0and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the Division\u2019s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at\u00a0www.dol.gov\/whd\u00a0including a\u00a0search tool\u00a0for workers who may be owed back wages collected by WHD. (PR)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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