The company’s owner, Noel G. Calaguas, could not be reached for comment by either of the numbers posted on the company Web site.
The five workers, Ysrael Espinosa, Jhaniel Perez, Alejo Ongotan, Ernesto Maglaque and Benedicto Calaguas Jr., each paid between $1,500 and $2,000 for labor processing and plane tickets.
Their H2 visas were good until Oct. 1.
They went to the local and federal labor departments to file complaints for nonpayment of their salaries.
But they were turned away by the U.S. Department of Labor, which told them that it had no jurisdiction over contracts under $500,000.
The local department’s alien labor administrator Greg Massey gave the workers 10 days to find a new job.
The men came to the Variety a week ago, but were initially afraid to have their identities revealed for fear that their employer would send them back to the Philippines.
They don’t want to go home empty-handed.
“They just want justice and not to be abused,” said Felix Aguon, a local resident who is helping the workers.
