VISITOR
05-02-2014, 03:18 PM
i never really cared for their show and now this even proves it even more. people sacrifice their lives to make millions for this guy and this is how he treats them. pathetic..
West Coast Customs, the Corona automotive restoration business that rose to prominence because of a pair of reality shows on cable television networks, will pay more than $150,000 to settle federal accusations that they underpaid employees for more than two years.
The company and its owner, Ryan Friedlinghaus, have agreed to a settlement with the United States Department of Labor to pay $157,592 in back wages to 45 employees and an additional $16,830 in civil penalties, according to a statement from the agency released on Wednesday, April 23.
A wage and hour investigation by the labor department’s West Covina office found that West Coast Customs paid weekly salaries with set amounts to its employees despite the fact that the workers should have been paid on an hourly basis and were eligible for overtime wages. According to the statement, based on the number of hours worked, some employees’ who were denied overtime only earned about $6 per hour, well below the minimum of $8 in California and the $7.25 federal standard.
West Coast Customs, which was started by Friedlinghaus in 1993 with a $5,000 investment from his grandfather, first rose to fame from the television show “Pimp My Ride,” which premiered on MTV in 2004. Numerous celebrities were featured on the program, which was hosted by rap star Xzibit.
The company has since been featured on “Inside West Coast Customs,” which has run on The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel HD Theater and in the video game “L.A. Rush.”
A spokesman for the company, who declined to identify himself, also did not want to comment on the investigation or the fine on the advice of legal counsel. He did say that the company was working closely with the labor department to ensure that their payroll practices would conform to the law.
Daniel Pasquil, director of the wage and hour division’s district office, said in an interview that the violations occurred between November 2010 and January 2013.“The fortunate thing, and the most important thing, is that the company did correct the violations,” Pasquil said. “They are now in full compliance.”
The federal investigation found that, until 2011, West Coast Customs misclassified employees as independent contractors. The company also failed to maintain proper payroll records of daily and weekly hours worked.
West Coast Customs, the Corona automotive restoration business that rose to prominence because of a pair of reality shows on cable television networks, will pay more than $150,000 to settle federal accusations that they underpaid employees for more than two years.
The company and its owner, Ryan Friedlinghaus, have agreed to a settlement with the United States Department of Labor to pay $157,592 in back wages to 45 employees and an additional $16,830 in civil penalties, according to a statement from the agency released on Wednesday, April 23.
A wage and hour investigation by the labor department’s West Covina office found that West Coast Customs paid weekly salaries with set amounts to its employees despite the fact that the workers should have been paid on an hourly basis and were eligible for overtime wages. According to the statement, based on the number of hours worked, some employees’ who were denied overtime only earned about $6 per hour, well below the minimum of $8 in California and the $7.25 federal standard.
West Coast Customs, which was started by Friedlinghaus in 1993 with a $5,000 investment from his grandfather, first rose to fame from the television show “Pimp My Ride,” which premiered on MTV in 2004. Numerous celebrities were featured on the program, which was hosted by rap star Xzibit.
The company has since been featured on “Inside West Coast Customs,” which has run on The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel HD Theater and in the video game “L.A. Rush.”
A spokesman for the company, who declined to identify himself, also did not want to comment on the investigation or the fine on the advice of legal counsel. He did say that the company was working closely with the labor department to ensure that their payroll practices would conform to the law.
Daniel Pasquil, director of the wage and hour division’s district office, said in an interview that the violations occurred between November 2010 and January 2013.“The fortunate thing, and the most important thing, is that the company did correct the violations,” Pasquil said. “They are now in full compliance.”
The federal investigation found that, until 2011, West Coast Customs misclassified employees as independent contractors. The company also failed to maintain proper payroll records of daily and weekly hours worked.