U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Sacramento-Area Gas Stations Paying $45,957 to 40 Employees to Resolve Wage Violations

SACRAMENTO, CA – Self-Serve Petroleum Inc. – owner and operator of multiple gas stations and convenience stores in Northern California – will pay $45,957 to 40 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found overtime, minimum wage, and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators found that Self-Serve Petroleum Inc. failed to pay required overtime rates of time-and-a-half for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek to employees in Auburn, Dixon, and Davis, California. The employer also failed to pay at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour to one employee. Self-Serve Petroleum also failed to keep accurate time records.

“Employers must pay their employees all the wages they have legally earned,” said Wage and Hour Division Assistant District Director Patricia Canites, in Sacramento. “We encourage employers to use the tools the Department provides to help them understand their obligations.”

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 Wage and Hour Division, contact the Division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at www.dol.gov/whd including a search tool for workers who may be owed back wages collected by WHD.