WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) today issued a Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) reiterating employers' responsibilities under the H-1B visa program.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that it has issued new opinion letters that address compliance issues related to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and 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 individual person or entity that requested the letter.

The opinion letters issued today are:

BOSTON, MA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) and subsequent litigation, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts has issued a consent judgment ordering Stavros "Steve" Papantoniadis and Polyxeny "Paulina" Papantoniadis – owners of a chain of eastern Massachusetts-area pizza restaurants – to pay a total of $330,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 150 current and former employees.

OCOEE, FL - After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Lake Meadow Naturals LLC – an agricultural employer based in Ocoee, Florida – has paid $18,844 in back wages to 14 employees for violating overtime, recordkeeping, and child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

MILLWOOD, WV - After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia has ordered Team Environmental LLC – a natural gas pipeline construction management company based in Millwood, West Virginia – to pay 300 safety inspectors $1,850,000 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

PEMBROKE PINES, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Paradise Villa Retirement Home Inc. – operator of five South Florida assisted living facilities – has paid $103,389 in back wages to 20 employees for violating minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ORLANDO, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Crown Linen LLC – based in Orlando, Florida – will pay $60,863 in back wages to 15 employees for violations of the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

MANCHESTER, NH – The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is conducting a statewide survey of New Hampshire highway construction projects that occurred between November 1, 2017 and October 31, 2018, to establish prevailing wage rates, as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. The data collection initiative is not limited to federally funded construction projects.

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would make more than a million more American workers eligible for overtime.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Fast Frontier LLC – based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and operating as Cricket Wireless – has paid $41,677 in back wages to 111 employees for violating the minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) at 54 locations in Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

MYRTLE BEACH, SC – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Monarch Co. – based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and operating as Monarch Roofing – will pay $156,346 in back wages to 84 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

LOUISVILLE, KY – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio, issued an opinion affirming the Department's assertion that Off Duty Police Services Inc. – a security and traffic control services provider based in Louisville, Kentucky – violated overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

OPELIKA, AL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Hydro-Green Erosion Control LLC – an erosion control company based in Opelika, Alabama – will pay $113,984 in back wages and liquidated damages to 34 employees for violating minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

NORCROSS, GA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals Inc. – an herbal products manufacturer and distributer based in Norcross, Georgia – has paid $454,655 in back wages to 28 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

MONTGOMERY, AL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), John Knox Manor Inc. – operating as John Knox Manor II – will pay $96,233 in back wages to 92 employees for violating the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) at its nursing home facility in Montgomery, Alabama.

POMPANO BEACH, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Rivera Services Group Inc. – a construction labor provider based in Pompano Beach, Florida – has paid $102,088 in back wages to 79 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The company was assessed and paid a civil penalty of $1,323 for child labor violations.

MILLIKEN, CO – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Burnco Colorado LLC - doing business as Bestway Concrete and Aggregates - has paid $77,238 in back wages to 406 employees to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime requirements at the company's facilities in Milliken, Colorado, and Irvin, Texas.

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has entered a consent judgment requiring five South Jersey gas stations, and their main owner Gurmeet Singh to pay $325,000 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 29 current and former employees. The consent judgment comes after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) and litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of the Solicitor.

BEACH HAVEN, NJ – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Cramark Inc. – doing business as The Chicken or The Egg restaurant in Beach Haven, New Jersey - will pay $768,548 in back wages, liquidated damages, and penalties for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the labor provisions of the H-2B temporary visa program. Cramark Inc. will pay 23 employees $359,077 in FLSA back wages, an equal amount in liquidated damages, plus $7,792 in H-2B back wages to two employees.

PHOENIX, AZ – The U.S. Department of Labor has secured a consent judgment against Austin Electric Services LLC and its president Toby Thomas that orders the Avondale, Arizona-based electrical contractor to pay $925,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 366 employees and $75,000 in civil money penalties for a number of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) violations.