U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Alabama Manufacturer Paying $28,307 in Back Wages and Damages

FOLEY, AL – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama has ordered Riviera Stoneworks Inc., Hood’s Discount Home Center of Foley Inc., and Michael J. Hood, the operator of both companies, to pay $28,307 in back wages and liquidated damages to 28 employees for violating the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Division investigators found that Riviera Stoneworks failed to pay employees required overtime when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek. The Division determined that when employees worked overtime, the employer paid them with two separate checks, both at straight time. One check - from Riviera Stoneworks’ payroll account - covered the first 40 hours, while any hours worked beyond 40 were paid in a separate check, at straight-time from the Hood’s Discount Center payroll account. None of the Riviera Stoneworks employees ever worked at Hood’s Discount Center. Additionally, the employer violated recordkeeping requirements when it failed to display required FLSA posters in conspicuous locations for employees’ reference.

“The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that employees receive the wages they have legally earned for all the hours they have worked,” said Kenneth Stripling, Wage and Hour Division District Director in Birmingham. “We are determined to ensure that employers who fail to comply with the law do not gain an unfair competitive advantage over those who do.”

The employer has paid the back wages and damages. Riviera Stoneworks manufactures pavers and architectural pre-cast products distributed at Hood’s Discount Home Center locations in Foley and Gulfport, Mississippi.

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.