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PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Illegal immigrants who worked long shifts scrubbing theme restaurants for an indicted janitorial firm are seeking unpaid wages in a federal lawsuit.
Some of the plaintiffs were rounded up in federal raids in February and deported before receiving their final paychecks, the suit charges. Others said they worked 80- or 100-hour weeks for years without earning overtime pay or even the prevailing minimum wage.
"People should be aware of the kinds of exploitative situations that are happening out there, in particular with immigrant workers," said lawyer Nadia Hewka of Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, who helped file the suit. "Someone who worked 80 hours a week should get paid fairly for those hours, no matter their immigration status."
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