U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in South Florida Construction Company Paying $102,088 in Back Wages to 79 Employees

POMPANO BEACH, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Rivera Services Group Inc. – a construction labor provider based in Pompano Beach, Florida – has paid $102,088 in back wages to 79 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The company was assessed and paid a civil penalty of $1,323 for child labor violations.

WHD determined Rivera Services Group Inc. paid its employees straight time rates for all the hours that they worked, failing to pay overtime when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek. The employer also violated the recordkeeping requirements of the FLSA when it failed to keep many of the time and payroll records required by law.

Additionally, WHD found that Rivera Services Group Inc. allowed an employee younger than 18 years old to operate a circular saw as part of his employment, a violation of FLSA child labor requirements.

"The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring employees receive all wages they have rightfully earned, and enforcing child labor laws," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Tony Pham, in Miami, Florida. "We encourage all employers to review their legal obligations and to contact the Wage and Hour Division for compliance assistance."

WHD provides a wide variety of compliance assistance tools to help employers understand their responsibilities and employees understand their rights.

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.