U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Payment Of Back Wages to 82 Employees at Tennessee Energy Company

LENOIR CITY, TN – Proton Power Inc. has paid $143,336 in back wages to 82 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found that the biodiesel fuels company violated minimum wage and overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators found Proton Power Inc. of Lenoir City, Tennessee, failed to pay employees at least the minimum wage and overtime rates at time-and-one-half for hours worked over 40 in a workweek due to missed payroll.

"When employers fail to pay employees the wages they have legally earned, they harm employees and gain an unfair advantage over their law-abiding competitors," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Nettie Lewis, in Nashville. "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 toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Employers who discover overtime or minimum wage violations may self-report and resolve those violations without litigation through the PAID program. Information is also available at https://www.dol.gov/whd.