North Carolina Retailer Pays $26,357 in Wages for Federal Overtime Violations Found by U.S. Department of Labor Investigation

GREENSBORO, NC – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Colmex Inc. - an Asheboro, North Carolina-based retailer of money orders and low-cost cell phones - has paid $26,357 in back wages to 18 employees for violating the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Investigators found the employer – operating as Express Services in Greensboro, North Carolina – paid straight time to the employees, regardless of how many hours they worked. This resulted in violations when the employer failed to pay overtime to employees when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek, as the law requires.

"Employees have a right to be paid all of the wages they have legally earned, for all of the hours they have worked," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Richard Blaylock, in Raleigh, North Carolina. "The U.S. Department of Labor works hard to ensure workers are paid what they deserve. Employers must fully understand their responsibilities under the FLSA and they are encouraged to contact us with any questions they may have about how to comply 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.

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.