U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Miami Aircraft Contractor Paying $54,704 in Back Wages for Overtime Violations

MIAMI, FL – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation, Cartagena’s Inc., a Miami-based commercial aircraft paint contractor, will pay $54,704 in back wages to 31 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators found Cartagena’s Inc. failed to include time employees spent traveling between job sites when determining how many hours they had worked.  Doing so created overtime violations when these unpaid hours occurred in workweeks longer than 40 hours. The employer also incorrectly considered workers to be independent contractors rather than employees, which created additional overtime violations when the inaccurate classification resulted in Cartagena’s Inc. paying employees straight-time rates for their overtime hours. The company also failed to keep accurate time records of the hours employees worked, resulting in FLSA recordkeeping violations.

“When employers fail to pay employees the wages they have legally earned, it harms employees and also allows those companies to gain an unfair advantage over their law-abiding competitors,” said Tony Pham, Wage and Hour Division District Director. “We encourage employers to contact us with any questions they may have, and to use the wide variety of tools we offer to help them understand their obligations and to comply with 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 including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by WHD.