Employer name: Jacobs Stone Products Inc.
Investigation site: San Saba, Texas
Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found Jacobs Stone Products Inc. violated the H-2B visa program by advertising a $19.20 per hour rate during the hiring interview and then only paying workers $10.15 per hour while in the U.S. The employer also made several illegal deductions from the workers’ pay, failed to provide job order disclosure to H-2B workers and did not reimburse the H-2B workers for transportation and subsistence while obtaining their visas, a requirement under the program.
Back wages recovered: $57,714 in owed wages to 10 workers
$27,528 in civil money penalties assessed to the employer
Quote: “Employers depend on the H-2B visa program to temporarily hire non-immigrants on a seasonal or peak-load need. Some employers do not take the time to understand their responsibilities under the law, which can lead to investigations from the U.S. Labor Department and costly consequences,” said Wage and Hour District Director Nicole Sellers in Austin, Texas. “The department will continue to use every enforcement tool available to hold accountable those taking advantage of vulnerable workers.”
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