USDOL secures $3.3M judgment against CNMI casino developer
SAIPAN – The U.S. Department of Labor has secured a $3,360,000 consent judgment against the developer of the Imperial Pacific Resort Hotel and Casino in Garapan, Saipan, for minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act by contractors working on the construction project, the department announced Thursday.
"Entered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, the judgment orders Hong Kong-based Imperial Pacific International Holdings, and its Saipan subsidiary Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), to pay $3,160,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to approximately 1,100 employees," the department stated. The developer must also pay $200,000 in civil money penalties.
The settlement follows an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division that found wage violations occurred when foreign-based construction subcontractors failed to pay their workforce required overtime premium rates for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. Investigators also found some of the subcontractors' day rates placed employees' earnings below federal minimum wage.
"This judgment demonstrates the U.S. Department of Labor's strong commitment to ensuring employees receive the wages they have earned," Wage and Hour Division district director Terence Trotter in Honolulu, Hawaii, stated in the release. "We will continue to enforce the law and level the playing field, while simultaneously encourage employers and employees to call us for assistance, and use the wide variety of tools we provide. Violations like those found in this investigation can be avoided."
Read more: https://www.postguam.com/news/cnmi/usdol-secures-m-judgment-against-casino-developer/article_b93b96f8-67ec-11e9-bef2-cfc3b41185cd.html