U.S. Labor Department lawsuit seeks back wages, damages for 34 Chicago limo drivers employed by Town & Country Limousine

Date of Action: March 6, 2015

Type of Action: FLSA lawsuit

Names of Defendants: DT & C Global Management LLC d/b/a/ Town & Country Limousine, John Jansen, William Lynch

Allegations: Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found that Town & Country Limousine incorrectly categorized 34 limo drivers as exempt from overtime under the motor carrier exemption. As a result the company failed to pay time and a half for hours worked beyond forty in a workweek in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The investigation found that chauffeurs were not compensated for the time spent prepping and cleaning their vehicles, driving from and to the corporate garage and waiting for their customers to arrive. The employers also did not record all hours worked by the drivers. Wage and Hour investigators estimate that the drivers were underpaid by more than $190,000.

Resolution: The department is asking the court to award back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to limo drivers employed by the company. The complaint also requests the court to issue an injunction against the company, John Jansen, the chief executive officer and William Lynch, the chief operating officer, from violating the Fair Labor Standards Act in the future.

Quote: "Failing to abide by the law and denying workers the wages to which they are legally entitled deprives them of their hard-earned income, and the ability to care for themselves and their families.The requirement to compensate workers by paying at least the minimum wage, and overtime for working more than 40 hours per week, has been on the books for more than 75 years," said Tom Gauza, district director for the Wage and Hour Division in Chicago. "Employees deserve fair compensation for all hours worked. We are asking the court to bring a just resolution to this matter."

FLSA: For more information about federal wage laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, call the agency's toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information also is available at http://www.dol.gov/whd.

Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Chicago

Docket Number: Perez v. DT & C Global Management LLC d/b/a/ Town & Country Limousine, John Jansen, William Lynch

Civil Action Number: 15-cv-02010