US Department of Labor recovers more than $1M in wages, damages from California ice manufacturers that knowingly shortchanged 70 workers

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US Department of Labor recovers more than $1M in wages, damages from California ice manufacturers that knowingly shortchanged 70 workers

Employees regularly worked an average of 16 unpaid overtime hours per week

SAN DIEGO - Seventy employees of two California ice manufacturers will receive their share of more than $1 million in back wages and damages recovered by the U.S. Department of Labor after investigators determined the companies' common ownership withheld $527,687 in overtime earned by workers deliberately.

The department's Wage and Hour Divisionfound the two employers - San Diego Ice Company in San Diego and California Ice Company in Lake Elsinore - paid employees regular hourly rates for all hours worked and ignored the federal requirement to track and pay time-and-a-half their regular hourly ratefor hours over 40 in a workweek. Many employees regularly worked an average of 16 hours of unpaid overtime each week.

"The owners of the San Diego Ice Company and California Ice Company willfully violated the rights of 70 hard-working people who work around the clock to help these companies be successful," said Wage and Hour Division Assistant District Director Jose Medina in San Diego. "The U.S. Department of Labor will not tolerate such callous and illegal mistreatment of employees who are simply trying to provide for themselves and their families. We will use all available enforcement tools to hold employers accountable for compliance."

The $527,687 in unpaid overtime and $527,687 in liquidated damages recovered by the division will be payable to the affected employees in a 12-month installment plan. The division also assessed the companies $36,358 in civil money penalties collectively because of the willful nature of their Fair Labor Standards Actviolations.

"On average, these employees will receive about $15,000 each, a sizeable amount for people trying to make ends meet on hourly wages," Medina added.

For more information about the federal labor rights enforced by the division, contact the toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division.

The division protects workers regardless of where they are from and can communicate with workers in more than 200 languages. Download the agency's Timesheet App for Android and iOS devices, free and available in English and Spanish, to ensure hours and pay are accurate.

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