US Labor Dept blacklists Pinoy publishing firm

A Filipino publishing firm operating in the United States has been banned by the US Labor department from hiring temporary workers after it admitted committing violations of labor law. The US labor agency said that the Asian Journal, publisher of the Southland Filipino newspaper, has been barred for one year from using the U.S. government’s H-1B visa program to hire temporary workers. The publishing firm, which operates in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York and the Philippines, has agreed to pay $516,500 to 32 employees, aside from a $40,000 penalty. Based on the Labor department’s investigation, the firm did not pay its workers the required wage rate. It also misrepresented facts on the Labor Condition Application (LCA) that it filed, and did not follow the documentation required under the H-1B visa program. Asian Journal had submitted an LCA saying it sought workers for positions as accountants, reporters, news writers, journalists, business analysts, public relations specialists and financial analysts. However, US investigators found out that most were working in sales as account executives. “Misrepresenting the facts of the employment situation harms the workers who are hired for their professional expertise, and hurts domestic job seekers who may have otherwise been eligible for the positions," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “We cannot allow employers to take advantage of temporary workers who might be reluctant to come forward in such situations, nor will we allow unscrupulous employers to gain an unfair advantage over competitors who play by the rules." The company was also found obliging its workers to pay visa processing fees. As a result of the investigation, Asian Journal has agreed to pay the 22 workers hired using the H-1B program a total of $473,218 in back wages as well as a $40,000 civil money penalty. The US labor agency also discovered that 10 employees hired from outside the H-1B program and working as delivery drivers and office staff were due $43,276, representing unpaid overtime pay based on federal labor law.—JV, GMANews.TV