U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Florida-Based Hotel Builder Paying $173,320 to 38 Hawaiian Employees

HONOLULU, HI – Neptune Construction Group Inc., a Florida-based construction company, has agreed to pay 38 employees working at various Hawaii locations $173,320 after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime pay violations.

Operating with offices in Kailua Kona and in Palm Harbor, Florida, Neptune Construction serves the entire U.S. and specializes in remodeling and renovation of hotel properties.

Wage and Hour Division investigators found that Neptune Construction Group Inc. paid 19 employees straight time for their overtime hours after inaccurately considering them to be independent contractors instead of employees. The company also misapplied an exemption from the law’s overtime requirements intended to apply to salaried managers to another 19 employees, resulting in additional overtime violations.

“Employees depend on receiving the wages they have rightfully earned,” said Terrence Trotter, Wage and Hour Division District Director in Honolulu. “Wage violations can be avoided when employers understand the rules. We encourage employers to contact us for guidance so they can avoid violations. The Department of Labor offers many tools to help employers comply.”

Employees and employers with questions about the FLSA or any of the federal wage laws administered by the Division should call the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). All calls are confidential.

More information is available online at http://www.dol.gov/whd/.