A Filipino domestic worker has won a claim for US$827,506 in unpaid salary against her former employers in the United States.
Linda Alzate (not her real name) started working for a couple in Hancock Park, an upscale residential area of Los Angeles, in 2002, taking care of their then-three-month-old autistic child, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
Alzate was also tasked to do housework, run errands and cook for the family. In 2005, the couple had another child, who was also autistic.
Alzate was given a monthly salary of only $1,000, which computes to $2 an hour. The minimum wage for domestic workers in California is $10 per hour.
Alzate was on call 24 hours a day and not given the rest hours due her under US law. She was also discouraged from taking days off.
She filed a claim for back wages for her work period from April 2011 to April 2014. The judgement was made last month and granted Alzate’s claim.