Press Release  New Bedford Menswear Company Cited For Violating Workers' Rights

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) today announced that it has issued citations against a New Bedford-based menswear company, Joseph Abboud Manufacturing Corp., the company’s President John Tighe, and Vice President Joe Bahena, for violating various state employment laws. The citations, totaling over $218,300, include restitution for impacted workers and penalties. 

The AGO alleges that in violation of the Massachusetts’ wage and hour laws, between at least March 2023 and July 2023, the company failed to make timely payments and issue appropriate paystubs to approximately 384 workers. Additionally, the AGO alleges that the company failed to provide certain requested information and documentation, including payroll records, to the AGO. 

The AGO began investigating this matter upon receiving a complaint referral from Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores (CCT), an immigrant advocacy organization based in New Bedford, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. 

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Amy Goyer and Investigator Kimberly Lampereur, both of the AGO’s Fair Labor Division, which is tasked with enforcing the state’s wage and hour and other employment laws.  

This matter is part of the AGO’s ongoing efforts to champion workers’ rights and protections. Last month, the AGO released its annual Labor Day Report, which highlights the Fair Labor Division's work to protect employees over the past fiscal year. These actions include a range of enforcement, outreach, and advocacy efforts that assisted over 40,000 Massachusetts workers. Notably, the AGO’s past fiscal year’s enforcement actions assessed more than $31.5 million in restitution for unpaid wages and penalties.  

Workers in Massachusetts who believe their workplace rights have been violated are encouraged to file a complaint with the AGO’s Fair Labor Division at mass.gov/ago/fld. For more information about the state’s employment laws, workers may call the AGO’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465 or visit mass.gov/ago/fairlabor for information available in multiple languages.    

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