U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Golf Management Company Paying $19,776 in Back Wages to 24 Employees

ORLANDO, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Arnold Palmer Golf Management LLC – operating as Walt Disney World Golf in Orlando, Florida – has paid $19,776 in back wages to 24 employees for violating minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators determined the employer incorrectly classified one employee as exempt from the FLSA's overtime requirements. That error resulted in violations when the employer paid a set salary, without regard to the number of hours the employee actually worked, and failed to pay overtime for any hours the employee worked beyond 40 in a workweek. The employer also automatically deducted time from workers' timecards for lunch breaks but failed to pay employees who worked through those breaks.

In addition, WHD found Arnold Palmer Golf Management LLC failed to include automatic service charges and commissions paid to employees in their regular rates of pay when calculating overtime. Omitting these earnings from the calculation resulted in the employer paying overtime at rates lower than those required by law.

"Employers must have a clear understanding of their responsibilities under the law to guarantee employees are paid the wages they have earned," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Daniel White, in Jacksonville, Florida. "The U.S. Department of Labor encourages all employers to reach out to their local Wage and Hour Division office for information about how to comply, and to avoid violations."

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.