U.S. Labor Department recovers $1.1M for LA garment workers
In a significant victory for labor rights, the U.S. Department of Labor has announced a groundbreaking settlement, recovering over $1 million in back wages and damages for 165 garment workers in Los Angeles. This settlement, the largest of its kind for California garment workers, sheds light on pervasive labor violations and an elaborate attempt to conceal them.
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The investigations targeted four Los Angeles sewing contractors: Good Cash LLC, Good Cash Inc., Premium Quality Apparel LLC, and Premium Quality Apparel Inc. Owned by Ramon Tecum, Marisela Romero (also known as Diana Tecum), and Joseph Delao, these entities were found in violation of overtime pay regulations. Disturbingly, former California Deputy Labor Commissioner Conrado Gomez, who reportedly retired in 2010 after almost 25 years of service, played a significant role in these businesses.
The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division uncovered willful failure to pay overtime wages, with employees working an average of 52 hours per week denied compensation for hours exceeding the 40-hour workweek. The contractors further engaged in illegal practices, including falsifying payroll records and issuing fake checks to hide their transgressions.
During a court-authorized investigative inspection warrant, Tecum, Romero, and Gomez attempted to obstruct justice by posing as workers, disrupting power at the facility, and instructing employees to vacate the premises. In response, the Department of Labor enforced a hot goods hold on the apparel produced by these contractors for Beyond Yoga.