U.S. Department of Labor Cites Orlando Resort For Failing to Pay Workers Required Overtime Wages

ORLANDO, FL – A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found Orlando-based resort Vistana Management Inc. routinely changed payroll records to avoid paying employees overtime, a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), resulting in $372,183 in back wages owed to 275 employees. In addition to collecting back wages, the Division assessed $41,368 in penalties against Vistana for repeat violations to the FLSA.

The investigation determined that the management of Vistana Management Inc. – doing business as Sheraton Vistana Resort – failed to record and pay accurately for all the hours that employees worked. Specifically, the employer altered time records to record fewer hours in the payroll than employees had actually worked. Managers requested that employees sign documents authorizing them to edit their clock-in and clock-out times, and to modify their timecards to reflect that employees had not worked through their lunch breaks when they had.

“The resolution of this case puts these wages into the hands of those who earned them, and demonstrates how the Department of Labor’s enforcement protects workers and levels the playing field for law-abiding employers,” said District Director for the Wage and Hour Division Daniel White, in Jacksonville. “We encourage employers to contact the Wage and Hour Division in person, by phone, or online for assistance and to learn more about their responsibilities under the law.”

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.