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March 15, 2006 4:04 PM

Michael Jackson to pay back wages

Michael Jackson has made arrangements to pay back wages and penalties totalling at least $406,000, heading off further legal action by state labor regulators.

Renee Bacchini, a spokesman for the state Department of Industrial Relations, said today that the singer's representatives will start making the payments on Thursday.

"We will verify everything along the way," she said.

This action came as the state investigated claims that some employees of Mr. Jackson's Neverland Ranch have not been paid since Dec. 19, 2005.

State investigators say there are at least 69 employees at Neverland.

In addition, Mr. Jackson, 47, is accused of failing to provide workers' compensation insurance, which pays medical bills when employees are hurt on the job and pays for lost time following an on-the-job injury.

Mr. Jackson was to have paid at least $306,000 in back wages and a $100,000 penalty for allegedly withholding three months' worth of pay from at least 30 employees.

lilgish said:

This makes me happy. Glad it was worked out. Thanks for posting

Hopefully he can afford to lay some of them off. He doesn't even live at Neverland!

He should get some interns.

I wonder what those employees were maintaining if MJ wasn't in the states.

It's not like they have to clean up pie fights or anything.

They scraped together the money! Wonder where it came from? Geez, if the wages and insurance had been paid on time, or at least before the state got involved, all the fines and publicity could have been avoided!

Here's some more from AP:

"LOS OLIVOS, Calif. -
Michael Jackson has agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in back wages owed to employees at his Neverland ranch, averting a potential lawsuit, state officials said Wednesday.
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The workers were to be paid Thursday, the Department of Industrial Relations said. Jackson had been given a 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline — later extended to Wednesday — to pay up or face a lawsuit.

The department said at least 30 workers complained they had not been paid since Dec. 19 and were owed $306,000. Jackson also was told he would have to pay about $100,000 in penalties.

However, acting Labor Commissioner Robert Jones said Wednesday that Jackson's payroll records still were being verified and the final calculations for wages and penalties would be available next week.

Jackson's spokeswoman, Raymone K. Bain, said she "never doubted it would be resolved." She said Jackson has not commented because he considers his financial matters private.

A call left with Jackson's accountants — Bernstein, Fox, Whitman, Goldman & Sloan LLP — was not immediately returned.

The Labor Department also said Jackson's representatives indicated they were obtaining workers compensation insurance for 69 ranch employees. The state had ordered all work on the ranch stopped last week because the mandatory coverage had lapsed.

The fine for not having the insurance was estimated at $69,000, but Jones said that figure was not final."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/a...NlYwM3NjI-

Well Why anyone would stay after not being paid for 3 months is beyond me??

lazycrockett said:

I gather that some workers were paid, and some weren't; the article indicates 30 or so workers complained about not being paid. I'd guess the ones who hadn't been paid in awhile had prob. stopped showing up (I know I would!).

Still don't understand why they weren't paid in the first place.

Cause in MJ Land, you should just be happy to just be able to touch his garbage!