February 12, 2021

Michigan resort pays $87K in overtime back wages to 256 employees after US Department of Labor finds overtime violations

BELLAIRE, MI – A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation has found that Trinidad Resort & Club LLC, operator of the Shanty Creek Resort in Bellaire, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime requirements repeatedly when it paid workers only for the hours they were scheduled, rather than for the total number of hours they actually worked.

February 10, 2021

Fort Lauderdale HVAC contractor pays $20K in back wages to 18 employees as US Department of Labor finds overtime violations

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL A Fort Lauderdale heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractor has paid $20,547 in back wages to 18 employees after a federal investigation found the employer failed to pay workers overtime when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek.

February 8, 2021

Detroit grocer pays $10K in civil money penalties after US Department of Labor finds child labor violations

DETROIT A Detroit grocery store employed several minors in violation of federal child labor laws by allowing them to operate trash compactors and tend to bottle recycling machines.

February 5, 2021

Federal contractor pays $293K in back wages to 69 employees in Nevada after US Department of Labor investigation finds prevailing wage violations

LAS VEGAS – A federal contractor working at Nevada’s Tonopah Test Range – including Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs – has paid $293,051 in back wages and fringe benefits to 69 employees after the U.S. Department of Labor found the employer failed to pay workers required prevailing wages.

February 5, 2021

Modesto residential care facilities to pay employees $135K in back wages after US Department of Labor finds minimum wage, overtime violations

MODESTO, CA – The owner of eight residential care facilities in Modesto will pay $135,092 in back wages to 56 employees and $27,872 in civil penalties after the U.S.

February 5, 2021

Ohio health care service provider for individuals with developmental disabilities pays $92K in overtime back wages to 61 employees

MAUMEE, OH – While records at Journey Through Life Care Services LLC showed the Maumee health care service provider paid employees legally required state minimum wage plus time-and-a-half for overtime, federal investigators found the employer regularly failed to pay its employees overtime wages – sometimes paying a mere 50 cents per hour more for hours over 40 in a workweek.

January 29, 2021

US Department of Labor ends program that allowed employers to self-report federal minimum wage and overtime violations

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that the immediate end of its Payroll Audit Independent Determination program launched by the department’s Wage and Hour Division in 2018.

January 19, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Four Wage and Hour Opinion Letters

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor today announced four opinion letters that address compliance issues related to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An opinion letter is an official, written opinion by the Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) on how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by the person or entity that requested the letter.

The opinion letters issued today are:

January 15, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Final Rule to Modernize H-2A Temporary Agricultural Labor Certification Program

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a final rule that modernizes the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Labor Certification Program.  

Furthering the Trump Administration’s agenda to help American farmers, the Department’s Employment and Training Administration, and Wage and Hour Division are issuing this final rule in response to the extensive public comments received from farmers, farmworkers, as well as advocates and associations for both groups from across the country.

January 15, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Three Wage and Hour Opinion Letters

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor today announced three opinion letters that address compliance issues related to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An opinion letter is an official, written opinion by the Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) on how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by the person or entity that requested the letter.

The opinion letters issued today are:

January 14, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Launches Education and Enforcement Initiative to Ensure Child Care Industry Complies with Federal Labor Laws

DALLAS, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has launched an outreach and enforcement initiative to improve compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) among businesses in the child care industry in its Southwest region.

January 13, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Recovers $53,841 in Back Wages for Florida Beauty Supply Retailer’s Employees After Finding Wage Violations

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Classy Beauty Supply Inc. – based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida – will pay $53,841 in back wages to 10 employees to resolve minimum wage and overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

January 13, 2021

Florida Beekeeper Pays $10,487 in Back Wages and Penalties After U.S. Department of Labor Finds Violations of Guest Worker Visa Program

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL – After an investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) assessed S&S Apiaries LLC – a New Smyrna, Florida-based beekeeper – a $6,357 civil money penalty and found the employer owed $4,130 in back wages to three employees for violating the labor provisions of the H-2A guest worker visa program.

January 8, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Two Wage and Hour Opinion Letters

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor today announced two opinion letters that address compliance issues related to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An opinion letter is an official, written opinion by the Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) on how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by the person or entity that requested the letter.

The opinion letters issued today are:

January 6, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Final Rule to Clarify Independent Contractor Status Under the Fair Labor Standards Act

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a final rule clarifying the standard for employee versus independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

January 5, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Finds Kentucky Landscaping Contractor Violated Requirements of Guest Worker Visa Program

WILDER, KY – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Merkle Lawn Care Inc. – based in Wilder, Kentucky – has paid $20,502 in back wages to 42 employees for violating labor provisions of the H-2B visa program. The Department also assessed Merkle Lawn Care Inc. a civil penalty of $10,335.

January 4, 2021

Auto Care and Tire Shop Pays $152,109 in Back Wages to 248 Employees After U.S. Department of Labor Finds Wage Violations in Carolinas and Virginia

COLUMBIA, SC After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Colony Tire Corp. has paid $152,109 in back wages to 248 employees for overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) at 25 establishments throughout the Carolinas and Virginia.

January 4, 2021

U.S. Labor Department Recovers $35,492 in Overtime Back Wages For 12 Employees of Pittsburgh Area Ambulance Service

PITTSBURGH, PA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Jefferson Hills Area Ambulance Association – a private ambulance service operating as Southeast Regional EMS in Clairton and Elizabeth, Pennsylvania – has paid $35,492 in back wages to 12 first responder employees for violating overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

January 4, 2021

Florida Landscaping Material Supplier Pays $15,804 Civil Penalty After U.S. Department of Labor Discovers Child Labor Violations

ORLANDO, FL After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Sunscape LLC – a landscaping materials supplier based in Orlando, Florida – has paid a civil money penalty of $15,804 for violating child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).