Louisiana: Wage Laws Cover Foreign Workers, Judge Says (Katrina recovery workers)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/18/us/18brfs-ruling.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Louisiana: Wage Laws Cover Foreign Workers, Judge Says

By LESLIE EATON
Published: May 18, 2007

Foreign workers brought into the United States by companies facing labor shortages are covered by federal minimum wage laws, a judge in New Orleans ruled May 15. In what he said appeared to be the first federal ruling on this issue, which could affect thousands of workers nationwide, the judge, Eldon E. Fallon of Federal District Court, found that workers hired by Decatur Hotels in New Orleans had the right to sue their employer under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The workers are seeking to be reimbursed for thousands of dollars in travel and other costs to get the hotel jobs, arguing that the company’s failure to do so left them working for less than minimum wage.

[LiberalFighter]

1. What was the company doing?

Advancing the cost of transportation and other costs and then deducting the loans along with a fee?