U.S. Department of Labor Recovers $1,104,466 in Back Wages For Temporary Workers in Hurricane Harvey Recovery Efforts

SULPHUR, LA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), temporary staffing company Coastal Staffing Services LLC – based in Sulphur – will pay $1,104,466 in back wages to 1,412 employees involved in post-Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts in Southeast Texas to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators found Coastal Staffing Services LLC violated the overtime and minimum wage provision of the FLSA when it failed to pay employees one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for hours they worked beyond 40 in a workweek and paid less than the federal minimum wage when it missed payrolls after Hurricane Harvey. The company violated recordkeeping requirements by failing to maintain accurate records of the number of hours employees worked each day and each week.

"American workers need their lawfully earned wages, especially in the wake of natural disasters and recovery efforts," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Troy Mouton, in New Orleans. "Through education and compliance assistance, the U.S. Department of Labor works to ensure that employers understand the requirements of the FLSA and that workers involved in rebuilding affected communities are paid their rightful wages."

Soon after Hurricane Harvey, WHD deployed teams to provide in-person compliance assistance in Texas and Louisiana. The teams met with workers, homeowners, and volunteers as well as with representatives of shelters and community service centers to increase awareness of federal safety, health, and wage and hour laws; provide compliance tools for employers; and help workers understand their rights.

Workers 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.

Employers who discover overtime or minimum wage violations may self-report and resolve those violations without litigation through the PAID program. More information is available online at http://www.dol.gov/whd/.