An Otay Mesa company that paid its employees below minimum wage has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor to pay the employees nearly $135,000 in back wages, the department announced Thursday.
The customs brokerage firm G-Global will pay 61 Mexican national employees $124,465 for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act by paying them below minimum wage in pesos, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The company will also pay $10,456 for overtime violations toward 59 employees, who were paid flat salaries regardless of how many hours they worked per week, according to the agency.
The Department of Labor said interviews in the last year with employees of warehouse companies situated along the border show similar violations "appear to be widespread in the industry."
The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division is encouraging employers to work with their department to ensure their complying with miminum wage and overtime requirements.
"We encourage them to come forward and to participate in our PAID (Payroll Audit Independent Determination) program to get themselves into compliance, while avoiding the expenses that could arise through litigation," said Wage and Hour District Regional Director Ruben Rosalez.
The PAID program can help employers who discover violations to self-report and avoid litigation.
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Employees who think they have been wronged by G-Global's wage mispractices -- or any other company's -- should use the Workers Owed Wages online tool to see if the Wage and Hour Division is holding money due to them, Rosalez said.
Further information on the Fair Labor Standards Act and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division can be found by calling 866-4US-WAGE.
