LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered more than $1.1 million in back wages and damages from operators of a Los Angeles garment contractor that denied overtime wages to its employees deliberately. Now, the department wants to distribute these wages to all of the people who earned them.

The department's Wage and Hour Divisionis actively trying to locate workers who have yet to collect the overtime wages owed to them by Good Cash LLC, its associated entities - Good Cash Inc., Premium Quality Apparel LLC and Premium Quality Apparel Inc. - and owners Ramon Tecum and Marisela Romero. The division's investigation determined the employers denied overtime wages to a total of 165 people, many of whom labored an average of 52 hours per week.

So far, the division has returned nearly two-thirds of the $1.1 million collected to affected workers and remains determined to identify and locate the remaining workers who stand to benefit.

"Despite attempts to cover their tracks, these employers have been held accountable for intentionally shortchanging their garment workers' overtime pay," explained Wage and Hour Division District Director Kimchi Bui in Los Angeles. "Garment workers depend on the wages they're paid to make ends meet. Our primary concern now is ensuring that people once employed by these unscrupulous employers get the justice they deserve and the wages they earned."

If you or someone you know was employed by any of these companies between Aug. 3, 2021, and Aug. 31, 2023, please contact the division's Los Angeles District Office at (213) 894-6375 to find out if they are owed back wages and damages.

The division recovered the back wages and damages as part of a consent judgment the department obtained in December 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The department's Office of the Solicitorhad sued the garment contractors and company owners alleging they failed to pay workers required wages and falsified pay records. The department also alleged they issued fraudulent checks and tried to interfere with investigators by pretending to be workers.

Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search toolto use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division. Employers and workers can call the division confidentially with questions, regardless of where they are from. The division can speak with callers in more than 200 languages through the agency's toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Download the agency's new Timesheet Appfor iOS and Android devices - free and available in English and Spanish - to track hours and pay.

This news release is also available in Spanish.