740 employees in California, Arizona and Nevada to be compensated

HESPERIA, Calif. — Arizona Pipeline Co. has agreed to pay $750,000 in back wages to 740 employees following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, which found that the company violated the overtime and record keeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Overtime violations found at retail stores nationwide

SAN FRANCISCO — Levi Strauss & Co. has agreed to pay $1,011,413 in overtime back wages to 596 employees nationwide after the U.S. Department of Labor found that the company violated overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

Investigators visiting farms in South Florida to ensure compliance

MIAMI — The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division is reminding agricultural workers in South Florida that their rights are protected by the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act's Field Sanitation Standard. Virtually all employees engaged in agriculture are covered by federal law because they produce goods for interstate commerce.

Construction company also debarred from federal government contracts for 3 years

Temporary supervisors misclassified under Fair Labor Standards Act

Labor contractor held in contempt of court for failing to cooperate with investigators

NEW YORK — The U.S. Department of Labor has taken legal action to seek debarment of Lettire Construction Corp., a New York City general contractor, and Nicholas Lettire, president of the company, from working on future federally funded contracts for a period of three years.

CHICAGO — The U.S. Department of Labor has assessed a total of $277,475 in civil money penalties against three movie theatre companies, Marcus Theatre Corp., Regal Cinemas Inc. and Wehrenberg Inc., for allowing dozens of teens to perform hazardous jobs and work longer hours than allowed by the youth employment provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

BOSTON — The U.S. Department of Labor scored an important victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit against Operation Management Group Co. Inc., a contractor that supplied personnel to restaurants and other service industries in the greater Boston area, and its owner, Adilso Bosi.

HOUSTON — The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $1.8 million in back wages for nearly 400 workers and collected $200,000 in civil money penalties from Houston-based grocery stores Hong Land Corp., Hong Kong Group Inc., Pacific Ocean Enterprise Inc. and B&B Corner Corp., all doing business as Hong Kong Market, and store owners Hai Du Duong and Ha Duong.

WESTBURY, N.Y. — The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $780,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for 40 employees of Martino's Pizzeria Inc., doing business as Mama's Pizzeria and Restaurant, in Copiague, N.Y., resolving a lawsuit filed against the company for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

HOUSTON — The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the filing of a lawsuit against Houston-based Kinder Morgan Inc. and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP for their failure to pay more than $1 million in overtime compensation to approximately 4,500 current and former operators, technicians, maintenance workers, laborers and administrative nonexempt employees in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

HARTFORD, Conn. — The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered a total of $934,551 in overtime back wages for 479 employees of UnitedHealthcare and $104,280 in civil money penalties after an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division determined that the employees had been incorrectly classified as exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act and consequently denied compensation for all hours worked.

SEATTLE — Super China Buffet in Shoreline, Wash., and Great Dragon Inc., doing business as King Buffet restaurants in Everett and Marysville, Wash., have agreed to pay $420,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 83 employees. This agreement resolves a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor after an inspection by the department's Wage and Hour Division found violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

WEST COVINA, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has resolved an investigation against contractor CALNET Inc. and two subcontractors providing language, intelligence and information technology services to the U.S. Army at Ft. Irwin, Calif. The three companies had paid employees improperly for on-call time.

CHICAGO — The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $1,368,946 in back wages and fringe benefits for 140 employees of Total Enterprise Inc., a bus transportation company, following an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division under the Service Contract Act.

LOS ANGELES — Clothing manufacturer Joe's Jeans has paid $158,952 in back wages owed to 110 garment workers who worked for one of the company's Los Angeles-based sewing contractors. The action results from an agreement between Joe's Jeans in Commerce, Calif., and the U.S. Department of Labor following an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division that found the contractor failed to pay the workers minimum wage and overtime as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Workers in 8 states to recover more than $1.5 million in overtime back wages

HOUSTON — The U.S. Department of Labor announced the filing of a consent judgment in a case against CEMEX Inc. and the recovery of $1,514,449 in overtime back wages for 1,705 current and former ready-mix drivers who worked in eight states.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division is requesting public comments on its preliminary interpretations of a new provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act that requires employers to provide nursing mothers with reasonable break time and a private space for expressing breast milk while at work. This new provision — the Break Time for Nursing Mothers Law — became law when the Affordable Care Act was signed by the president in March 2010.

ORANGE, Calif. — A U.S. district court judge has ruled in favor of the U.S. Department of Labor in a case against a Westminster, Calif., garment manufacturer and its owner, awarding a total of $887,554 to current and former workers. Judge A. Howard Matz approved the department's request for a default judgment against Laundry Room Clothing Inc., owner Milton Kaneda and principal Sharon Kaneda after they failed to pay $380,824 in unpaid minimum wage and overtime compensation due to 115 low-wage workers.