Ice workers at the heart of a chilly wage dispute are about to be due, as the U.S. Department of Labor has secured over $1 million in back wages and damages for 70 California employees. Investigations revealed that the San Diego Ice Company and California Ice Company, tied by shared ownership, routinely underpaid their workers, ignoring federal overtime regulations. In a move that looks to put things right, the companies must now pay for time-and-a-half owed for hours logged beyond the standard 40-hour workweek.
Many of these employees worked an average of 16 extra hours weekly without proper compensation, a significant oversight according to the Wage and Hour Division. "The owners of the San Diego Ice Company and California Ice Company willfully violated the rights of 70 hard-working people," said Assistant District Director Jose Medina in San Diego, as per the U.S. Department of Labor. The labor department is sternly against what they see as a willful disregard for employee rights.
Affected employees are slated to receive about $15,000 each, which, for many, could be a life-changing sum. The payout plan is scheduled over 12 months, with the employers forking over the original unpaid overtime of $527,687 alongside an equal amount in liquidated damages. Their wallet doesn't close there, with an additional $36,358 in civil penalties due to the deliberate nature of their violations.
