Some workers paid thousands to relocate
The United States Department of Labor has ordered contractors in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to make whole Chinese employees who came to Saipan to build the Imperial Pacific Resort.
According to the Saipan Tribune, employers will pay a collective $13.9 million in back wages and damages to thousands of employees who were shortchanged by the contractors. Department investigators determined that they were paid less than the minimum wage and overtime pay required by the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act.
Four China-based construction contractors have agreed to the department’s terms. They are MCC International Saipan Ltd. Co., Beilida New Materials System Engineering Co. Ltd., Gold Mantis Construction Decoration and Sino Great Wall International Engineering Co. LLC.
Three of the contractors—MCC, Beilida and Gold Mantis—were found to have employed Chinese laborers who did not have proper work visas. Those workers paid $6,000 or more off their own money for travel and recruitment fees prior to their employment on Saipan.
“These settlements ensure that thousands of workers will receive the wages they legally earned, while simultaneously sending a strong, clear message to other employers,” said Wage and Hour acting administrator Bryan Jarrett. “Employers who evade the law in an attempt to reduce expenses must not gain a competitive advantage over those who play by the rules. Regardless of where work is performed in the U.S. or its territories, we will continue to enforce the law and level the playing field.”
“As the Department of Labor works to prevent visa fraud and abuse, this case represents an example of the department’s strong commitment to protecting the American workforce by enforcing the law,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta.
