DENVER (AP) — A federal judge says a case should go ahead against companies that provide au pairs to families across the country, and agreed with the plaintiffs that they are protected by federal wage and labor law.
The defendants are all 15 of the companies authorized by the State Department to arrange for young foreigners to stay with Americans and look after their children. They were sued by a group of au pairs who say they were unlawfully denied the minimum wage, overtime and payment during training. In an opinion issued Thursday, U.S. District Judge Christine Arguello agreed with an earlier magistrate’s ruling that the case should go ahead. The companies had sought to have the au pairs’ claims dismissed.
Arguello also said the Fair Labor Standards Act applies in the case.
