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Collecting on back pay: Are you owed unpaid wages?
Houston workers rejoice as the U.S. Labor Department recovers $460,000 in back wages from a supermarket. Consumer reporter Heather Sullivan explains how you can collect your owed pay.
Houston - The U.S. Department of Labor says many Houston grocery store workers are owed $406,000 in back pay.
In a press release, the Department announced it recovered $460,000 in back wages and damages for 104 workers after it says Y.S. Lee Company Inc., operating as Guanajuato Supermarket on East Mount Houston Road, paid employees regular wages instead of the required time and a half for overtime, and failed to keep accurate pay records.
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We contacted Guanajuato Supermarket but did not receive a response.
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This comes as the Department says 12,000 Texans have an average of $662 that belongs to them in back wages, totaling $8 million, from their investigations of other businesses across the state.
"This is money that has already been earned by workers. And it's their money. So they should
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go in there and see if there's anything there for them," explained Jesus Valdez of the U.S. Department of Labor.
The Department says anyone who has worked for any employer can check for back-owed wages on this link. Workers can type in the business name and state. Only businesses found to owe back wages will be listed.
Workers who are owed back wages can file a claim on the site to collect their check. If the money is not collected within three years, it goes to the U.S. Treasury Department.
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The Labor Department says any worker who was not paid for wages earned can file a complaint, and it will investigate. The Department says it protects workers regardless of their immigration status and can communicate in 200 languages.