Georgia Furniture Installer to Pay Employees $194,069 in Back Wages Following a U.S. Department of Labor Investigation

ALPHARETTA, GA – A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation into an Alpharetta-based furniture installer, determined the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and owed employees $194,069.

R.I.O.F Inc. – which provides labor for furniture dealers and other furniture installation businesses –misclassified 109 employees as independent contractors and failed to pay overtime. This violation of the FLSA was discovered in the company’s records, which showed the number of hours employees had worked, and the straight-time payments they had received.

“This employer’s actions led to employees being paid thousands of dollars less than they were owed for the hours they worked,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Eric Williams. “In addition to hurting workers, this practice creates an economic disadvantage for employers who comply with the law. We encourage all employers to make use of our educational resources to ensure compliance.”

The FLSA requires that covered employees be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 for all hours worked, plus time and one-half their regular rates, including commissions, bonuses and incentive pay, for hours worked beyond 40 per week.

For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the Division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at http://www.dol.gov/whd, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the Division.