March 28, 2003 – The Labor Department assisted V.I. residents in collecting $135,000 in wages owed them by employers during the last year and a half, Labor Commissioner Cecil R. Benjamin said in a release.
Benjamin said that figure does not include the "hundred of thousands, if not millions, of dollars" workers received in severance pay as a result of Labor Department intervention.
According to department spokeswoman Janelle Gumbs, the money involved cases in which employers had failed to pay wages owed or had not paid the correct amount. Such discrepancies "usually can be settled," she said.
Gumbs said workers who dispute the wages they have received can contact a department Labor Relations Division representative for assistance. Call Glen J. Smith at 776-3700, ext. 2035, on St. Thomas, or Marcia Williams at 692-9686 on St. Croix.
Benjamin said that while the dollar figure shows that the department is helping workers, it can still do a better job. He said more investigators are needed to deal with complaints, but the department doesn't have the money to hire them.

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