U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Alabama Erosion Company Paying $113,984 in Back Wages and Damages to 34 Laborers

OPELIKA, AL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Hydro-Green Erosion Control LLC – an erosion control company based in Opelika, Alabama – will pay $113,984 in back wages and liquidated damages to 34 employees for violating minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators found that Hydro-Green Erosion Control LLC paid laborers flat salaries without regard to the number of hours they had actually worked. This practice resulted in minimum wage violations when those salaries failed to cover all the hours employees had worked at the required federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. This practice also resulted in overtime violations when employees worked beyond 40 hours per workweek and did not receive overtime pay. The employer also violated FLSA recordkeeping requirements when it failed to maintain required time records and to display mandatory FLSA posters.

"Ensuring that employees receive the wages they are due under the law guarantees that all employers compete on a fair and level playing field," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Kenneth Stripling, in Birmingham, Alabama. "We encourage all employers to reach out to us for assistance. Violations like these can be avoided."

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.