U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Massachusetts Stone Fabricator Paying $144,199 in Back Wages and Liquidated Damages to 20 Employees

BOSTON, MA – Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Onyx Marble & Granite LLC and owners Jose Moraes and Poliana Moraes will pay a total of $144,199 in back wages and liquidated damages to 20 employees to resolve violations of the overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators found that the Framingham, Massachusetts, fabricator and installer of custom stone products paid straight time instead of overtime to employees who worked more than 40 hours per week measuring, cutting, polishing, and installing stone products; and failed to keep records of the employees’ work hours.

“The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that employees receive the wages they have rightfully earned and that employers who fail to comply with the law do not gain an unfair competitive advantage over those who do,” said Carlos Matos, Wage and Hour Division District Director in Boston. “We encourage all employers to use the tools and resources the Wage and Hour Division provides to learn about their legal responsibilities, avoid violations, and operate in compliance with the law.”

The settlement also prohibits the business and its owners from soliciting or accepting the return of the back wages from the employees and from discriminating against any employees who exercise their rights under the FLSA.

WHD’s Boston District Office conducted the investigation, and Senior Trial Attorney James Glickman of the regional Office of the Solicitor negotiated the settlement with WHD’s assistance.

For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the Division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at https://www.dol.gov/whd including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the Division.