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(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Byline: Rita Villadiego
NEW YORK-Only a few months ago, Evelyn Aguilar was looking overworked and harassed. She was working as a nanny and a housekeeper in New Jersey and was being paid only $1.60 per hour, which was way below the minimum wage of $5.15 per hour in the United States.
Last Sunday, however, Aguilar was all smiles. The US District Court in New Jersey had determined that she was being paid a salary that was below the minimum wage and ordered her former employer to pay her $30,000 (P1.6 million) in back wages.
She was paid a lump sum of $15,000 last Sunday and will get $1,500 each month for the next six months.
"I feel such relief. I've learned how to defend my rights," Aguilar said in an interview.
She said she would use the money to pay for the education of her two children back in the Philippines.