How the Wage and Hour Division Innovated to Get Back Wages to Workers Abroad

Carminia Ramirez-Byrne has been with the Wage and Hour Division for over 20 years, working in both the San Jose and San Francisco offices. Over the years, she’s held many different roles, all leading to her current position, where she certifies back wage payments and ensures that recovered wages are processed and paid correctly to workers living in the United States and abroad.

What do you like most about working for the Wage and Hour Division??

I love seeing the real-world impact of my job. Many workers aren’t fully aware of the laws and protections that exist for them, and I take pride in our commitment to upholding those rights. Immigration status does not matter when it comes to receiving the back wages they’ve earned.

What else can you tell us about yourself??

I was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, as the second youngest of 11 children. I earned a degree in business administration from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and an MBA from UNAD Florida .

In Bogotá, I worked as a tour guide for large groups and ran an ice cream shop with my sister. Later, I helped manage my family's construction business, where we assisted low-income residents in securing government-backed loans to build homes. Seeking new adventures, I moved to the U.S. and obtained citizenship, met my husband and had our daughter.

What has been your biggest accomplishment?

When I was assigned to assist with back wage payments, I found that delivering the recovered wages to employees in foreign countries was often difficult and risky. The standard method at the time was to mail checks to workers, which often got lost or stolen. Drawing from my personal experience sending money to Colombia, I researched alternatives and found that the Wage and Hour Division could partner with the Treasury to wire payments directly to employees’ bank accounts or through services like Western Union.

We started small, testing this process with small groups, and expanded due to our success rate. Our language skills have also allowed us to communicate directly with employees, making it easier to verify payment details. Additionally, as we reached out to workers, we often uncovered entire communities of employees from the same company or neighborhood who were owed payments. This process has become extremely efficient. What began with a small experiment has now expanded to hundreds of employees being paid millions in back wages each year.

What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you?

Hispanic Heritage Month is an important reminder of our rich and diverse backgrounds. Many people don’t realize that being Hispanic is not a one-size-fits-all identity. We come from many different countries, each with its own unique culture, language, and customs. Yet, despite these differences, we share some core values. Family is at the heart of our culture, and we have a deep respect for both the young and elderly. Our faith and traditions—whether they are religious or indigenous—are central to who we are.

As a Colombian American, I feel like I’ve taken the best of both cultures. My family, too, is a blend. My husband is Irish American, born in Nigeria, and our daughter carries the cultures of Colombia, Ireland and the United States, with a touch of San Francisco!

#HispanicHeritageMonth #PublicService #SomosUNAL #WageAndHour