U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Pennsylvania Car Repair Center Paying $67,462 in Back Wages and Damages

ELLWOOD CITY, PA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Boehm Family Enterprises LLC – doing business as McElwain Brothers Paint and Collision in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania – has paid $33,731 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 12 mechanics and painters to resolve violations of the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators found that Boehm Family Enterprises LLC violated the FLSA by incorrectly classifying the mechanics and painters as exempt from the law's overtime requirements and paying them only straight time when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek. Additionally, the employer failed to include employee performance bonuses when determining overtime pay.

"The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring employees receive the wages they have rightfully earned, and that law-abiding employers compete on a level playing field," said Wage and Hour District Director John DuMont, in Pittsburgh. "The Department's Wage and Hour Division provides many resources to employers to help them comply with the law and understand their responsibilities to employees."

Employers who discover overtime or minimum wage violations may self-report and resolve those violations without litigation through the PAID program. For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Division, contact its 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.