L.A. Garment Industry Still at Heart of Worker Abuse Battle

A recent $212,000 judgment against a Ross Stores supplier is the latest in the multi-year goal to help fight against worker abuse in Los Angeles’ garment industry. In this case, the supplier must pay back wages to 270 employees of the company’s subcontractors. The issue was first brought forward by Administrator David Weil of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour division. A year and a half after the investigation began, there are still a number of minimum wage violations in Southern California.

Over the course of the last five years, officials for the Wage and Hour division have concluded more than 1,000 investigations into violations in the garment industry. The result has been more than $11.7 million in back wages.

This is just a small matter in a long list of labor laws that are being violated and wages not being paid to employees. While the L.A. garment industry has been a huge focus over recent years, there are numerous companies throughout the country who are violating wage and hour laws. This is in direct violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

At Bailey Cowan Heckaman PLLC, we are familiar with wage and hour laws. We know what is required of employers and we work hard to protect our clients’ rights when they have been denied overtime wages. We work hard to help employees recover back wages when their rights have been violated.

If you have a dispute involving wages you should have been paid, call our firm and learn more about your potential legal options. You have rights that are protected under the FLSA. Our firm will stand by your side to prove that you deserve compensation for the work you performed. We’re ready to help you hold your employer responsible for their actions.