Garment Shops Still in Violation of Labor Laws
The U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday it has slapped 17 Los Angeles-area garment contractors with more than $270,000 in penalties for repeat violations of federal wage and hour laws.
Reinspections of 35 sewing factories previously cited for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act found a staggering 63% were still paying workers less than minimum wage or denying them overtime pay. Some workers had not been paid back wages ordered by the Labor Department as a result of inspections dating as far back as 1998.
“In some of these cases workers were still owed thousands of dollars,” said Jerry Hall, deputy regional administrator for the Western Region of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division.
The two largest penalties, totaling $112,500, were levied against two South El Monte contractors. 2000 Knitwear Manufacturing, which makes clothing for South El Monte-based manufacturer JRB International, was fined $70,000. KV Sportswear was hit with a $42,500 fine. It sews clothing for a number of manufacturers, including Los Angeles-based Boom Boom Inc., Classy Lady of Vernon and Westminster-based Hapa Clothing Co.
Hall said the reinspections and penalties are part of an effort by the Labor Department to crack down on employers who continue to flout wage and hour laws. The agency conducted reinspections from February to April, checking up on garment contractors who had previously cheated workers out of wages. Of the 35 shops reinvestigated, 22 were found to have “repeat and willful” violations of minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping provisions of federal labor law.
In all, investigators found 611 employees were owed $627,663 in back wages. Hall warned that the $271,780 in civil penalties issued against violators this time around is just a taste of what they’ll experience the next time they violate the law. He said contractors who persist in short-changing workers can expect additional damages, court injunctions--even jail time. Additionally, he said the Labor Department plans to pursue manufacturers who continue to employ scofflaw contractors.
“We are not going to tolerate continued violations. There are going to be significant consequences for repeat violators,” Hall said.
Other apparel contractors fined by the Labor Department include Huntington Park-based Lupitas Sportswear ($31,875); Los Angeles-based G&E; ($31,000); Santa Ana-based Pacific West Apparel ($17,000); Rosemead-based Veng Wah Fashion ($13,182); Los Angeles-based P.S. Fashion ($13,175); Los Angeles-based Basic & Solid ($12,325); and Los Angeles-based OK Fashion ($9,562).
