Federal workers in Vermont who recently won back pay from private contractors who paid them under order of the U.S Department of Labor Saturday thanked two of the government officials and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who intervened to help the roughly 500 employees.

At the town hall meeting Sanders convened Saturday at St. Albans City Hall, the workers also peppered Sanders and the labor officials about details of the settlement and the status of an ongoing investigation involving another private contractor employing the workers.

Many also expressed gratitude. One of the employees, April Powell of Rouses Point, N.Y., said the settlement means she could get caught up with her medical bills. "I'm extra grateful and appreciative," she said. Earlier this autumn, the Department of Labor ordered Computer Sciences Corp. to pay $1.4 million in back wages to 237 Vermont employees. CSC was a contractor for the U.S Citizen and Immigration Service Vermont Service Center. Just weeks earlier, the Labor Department ordered SI International to pay $1.5 million to its Vermont employees as the company did contracting work for the federal government.

About 65 people were at Saturday's meeting. Many people had technical questions about taxes, pay grades and settlement issues for Carl Smith, the Labor department's deputy regional administrator and George Rioux, the department's wage and hour division director.

(Please click link to read full story)