Commercial printer Bartash Printing Inc. of Philadelphia entered a consent judgment to pay $273,892 in back wages and liquidated damages to a group of 136 temporary employees it obtained through a staffing firm, the US Department of Labor reported Monday.

“Although Bartash acquired workers through a temporary agency, it still had a legal responsibility as a joint employer to ensure that the workers received proper wages as the law requires,” said James Cain, director of the Wage and Hour Division’s Philadelphia District Office.

Workers included machine operators and general laborers. They were paid $6.25 per hour in cash, while the required federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, according to the Department of Labor. Bartash also failed to ensure the workers received the required overtime payments and to maintain the required payroll records for these workers.

Bartash used temporary help agency  VQ Management Inc. — doing business as Managed Staffing and/or Best Staff — to acquire the workers, according to the department.

In addition to the back wages and liquidated damages, the Bartash agreed to pay a civil monetary penalty of $31,350.

“The resolution of this case should inform other employers who may acquire employees through a temporary help agency — it illustrates their responsibility to ensure that these temporary workers are being paid in compliance with the law.”