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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR INVESTIGATION NETS .1 MILLION IN BACK WAGES FOR IMMIGRANT WORKERS IN SAIPAN
Four Department of Labor investigations into garment factories on Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands), a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean have recovered over $ 2.1 million for immigrant workers whose labor rights had been violated. The companies that were cited for the violations have also agreed to comply with more U.S. labor laws and cease certain practices that violate the rights of the workers. 
Among these practices were requiring employees to work without pay, confining them to their quarters, requiring them to clean their quarters without paying them for that work, excessive charges for room and board, and making unwarranted and excessive deductions from the employees' paychecks.
US-CNMI, the worst violator, with over $ 1.1 million in back wages owed, has agreed to monitor its compliance with U.S. labor laws. During January Department of Labor officials conducted a training seminar on compliance with U.S. labor laws and is making an effort to increase the amount of information about U.S. laws to businesses in Saipan.
Currently the only provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act that are enforced in Saipan relate to child labor, overtime and record keeping. The local government sets the minimum wage, which is currently $ 3.05 per hour. Alexis M. Herman, the Secretary of Labor, said work is ongoing to have U.S. labor and immigration laws implemented in Saipan.