Fresno home rental company to pay $259K in overtime back wages, damages

Employers: David Hovannisian and J&V Properties Inc., two property management companies jointly doing business as JD Home Rentals

Location: 2975 E. Belmont Ave., Fresno, California

Investigation findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that Fresno-based JD Home Rentals paid straight time for overtime hours worked, rather than paying time-and-a-half for each hour worked beyond 40 in a workweek, as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. The home rental and management company also failed to keep accurate records of the hours worked by employees, in violation of the FLSA’s recordkeeping provisions. Most of the affected employees were maintenance workers.

Resolution: JD Home Rentals will pay $129,719 in overtime back wages and an equal, additional amount in damages, totaling $259,438 to 157 employees.

Quote: “We will not tolerate employers denying workers their hard-earned wages,” said Cesar Avila, assistant district director for the Wage and Hour Division in Sacramento. “Failure to pay workers the wages they’ve rightfully earned makes it difficult for them to care for themselves and their families. It also puts employers who play by the rules at a disadvantage. The resolution of this case should send a clear message to other employers who may be paying their employees in this manner – violating the law doesn’t pay.”

Information: 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/.

Read this news release en españól.