Alabama tire retailer pays more than $27K in back wages, damages after US Department of Labor investigation

Employer name: Gulf Coast L&P Inc., doing business as Rent-n-Roll

Investigation site: 1059 North Eastern Blvd.
Montgomery, Alabama 36117

Investigation findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division’s Birmingham District Office determined that Rent-n-Roll, a tire and wheel retailer, violated the minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Investigators found that the employer reduced the number of hours worked that employees recorded on their timesheets. This practice resulted in Rent-n-Roll failing to pay at least the legally required federal minimum wage for all the hours some employees worked and in overtime violations when employees worked more than 40 hours in a work week yet were not paid for some of those hours. The company also violated recordkeeping requirements when their altered time records failed to reflect accurately the hours employees had worked.

Resolution: Rent-n-Roll will comply with the FLSA and pay 14 employees $13,583 in back wages plus an additional equal amount in liquidated damages, totaling $27,166.

Quote: “The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring all workers receive the wages they have rightfully earned,” said Kenneth Stripling, director of the Wage and Hour division’s Birmingham district office. “The back wages and damages paid in this case should remind all employers to ensure that they are paying their workers according to the law. We encourage employees who believe they are not being paid properly, or employers with questions about how to comply with the law to contact us for compliance assistance.”

Background: Based in Moss Point, Mississippi, the company sells and rents custom wheels and tires. The retailer has stores in Alabama, Louisiana, Florida and Tennessee. 

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/.