U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Fire Protection Company Paying $315,846 in Back Wages and Damages to 14 Employees

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Alliance Fire Protection Inc. – based in Albuquerque, New Mexico – has paid $157,923 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 14 employees for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime and recordkeeping requirements.

WHD investigators found the employer failed to pay its fire sprinkler fitters for all of the hours they worked. Specifically, Alliance Fire Protection Inc. failed to pay workers for time they spent picking up materials at the company's location, and time spent traveling to and from worksites. This unrecorded time resulted in overtime violations when employees worked more than 40 hours per week yet remained unpaid for these hours. The employer also violated the FLSA's recordkeeping requirements when they failed to keep accurate time and payroll records. 

"Employers must understand their responsibilities and pay employees for all the hours that they work," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Evelyn Sanchez, in Albuquerque. "Our enforcement and education efforts help to maintain a level playing field for employers and ensure that workers take home all the wages they have legally earned. The results of this case should encourage other employers to examine their pay practices to ensure they are operating in compliance with the law."

The Department offers numerous resources to ensure employers have the tools they need to understand their responsibilities and to comply with federal law, such as online videos, confidential calls, or in-person visits to local WHD offices.

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 Division, contact the 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.