City of Industry poultry plant cited for repeat wage violations

A Southern California poultry plant operator was ordered to pay more than $95,000 in overtime wages and damages to 78 workers who deboned chicken at its City of Industry plant, the U.S. Department of Labor announced this week.

Leyen Food also was fined $25,194 for “repeat and willful” violations of overtime rules because similar shortcomings were uncovered previously, according to the Labor Department.

A company spokesman declined to comment on the actions.

The Labor Department said Leyen manipulated records to make it seem as if the company had paid overtime wages to employees who worked more than 40 hours a week. The agency says those workers instead were paid by the volume of their work, regardless of hours.