AMBLER, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent order to enable the recovery of $317,097 in back wages for three U.S. and 56 workers from Mexico employed by an Ambler, Pennsylvania, swimming pool subcontractor under the federal H-2B guest worker visa program.
The order by the Office of Administrative Law Judges follows an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division that found GSI Pool Finishes Inc., operating as GSI Pool Finishes, violated provisions of the H-2B program by failing to pay required wages to the U.S. and foreign workers. The employer illegally paid the workers, hired as cement masons, a piece rate not at least equal to the applicable required offered wage rate. The incorrect wage rate resulted in the workers being owed $266,627 in back wages by the employer.
“These vulnerable workers left their home country to come to the U.S. to work under conditions clearly defined by the H-2B visa program. They deserve every protection that comes along with those promised conditions,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Jim Cain in Philadelphia. “The Department of Labor protects workers’ rights and is diligent in its efforts to ensure they receive the wages they earn. Employers who choose to participate in the H-2B program must ensure they are aware of their obligations and abide by the law.”
The employer additionally violated H-2B program provisions when it:
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