U S Department of Labor : Los Angeles garment manufacturer to pay workers $173K in back wages

Employer: Chloe Apparel, Inc.

Site: 1143 East 29 St., Los Angeles, California

Investigation findings: The employer paid straight time for overtime hours worked after 40 hours in a work week. The employer also failed to pay the proper minimum wage to a subset of workers. Both sets of violations fall under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Resolution: The employer agreed to pay $164,255 to 142 employees for overtime violations, and an additional $9,488 to 42 employees for minimum wage violations.

Quote: 'It is the obligation of all employers to accurately pay overtime wages at time-and-one-half after 40 hours in a week, regardless if the employee is paid on a piece-rate, day-rate, or on a salary basis,' said Skarleth Kozlo, assistant director for the Wage and Hour Division's office in West Covina. 'Given the garment industry's poor compliance history - especially in Southern California - the Wage and Hour Division makes it a priority to investigate garment wage practices to verify compliance with federal laws.'

Information: For more information about federal wage laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, call the agency's toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information also is available at http://www.dol.gov/whd.