Mobile testing device employer pays more than $266,000 to 118 employees following US Labor Department investigations in Texas and Washington

Employer: Device Inside Inc., which provides mobile device testing and other related services for Samsung.

Site: Corporate office in Dallas, Texas and a branch office in Bellevue, Washington

Investigation findings: The Seattle Wage and Hour district office found 46 employees were owed $149,671 while the Dallas district office found that 72 employees were owed $116,662 in back wages. Systemic violations at both locations include wrongly classifying salaried engineers and drivers as exempt from overtime requirements. The company also failed to include bonuses in overtime pay computations and failed to keep accurate records. Additionally, the employer, in some cases, improperly deducted time from workers' pay for breaks under 20 minutes long, which count as work time. The company agreed to comply with the FLSA in the future. All back wages have been paid by the employer.

Quote: "This is a great example of how the Wage and Hour Division addresses corporate-wide compliance across multiple geographical locations," said Cynthia Watson, regional administrator for the Wage and Hour Division in the Southwest. "We are pleased that the employer has corrected its pay practices to comply with the law and that employees have received the wages they rightfully earned."

Back wages paid: $266,334

Information: Device Inside Inc.

For more information about federal wage laws, call the Wage and Hour Division's toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or its Dallas District Office at817-861-2150. Information also is available at http://www.dol.gov/whd/.