U.S. Department of Labor Finds Overtime Violations At North Carolina Dentistry Practice

RALEIGH, NC – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Dr. Michael C. Kretchmer – a Raleigh, North Carolina-based surgical dentist – has paid $8,656 in back wages and liquidated damages to 13 employees for violating the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators determined Dr. Michael C. Kretchmer – operating as Tar Heel Periodontics and Implant Dentistry – paid employees straight time rates for all the hours that they worked, without regard to the total number of hours they worked in a workweek. This practice resulted in violations when employees worked more than 40 hours in a workweek and were not paid overtime.

"Employers have a responsibility to ensure employees are paid what they have earned in accordance with federal labor laws," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Richard Blaylock, in Raleigh, North Carolina. "Compliance with the law is not optional. The U.S. Department of Labor provides resources and compliance training to assist employers and employees in understanding their duties and rights under the law."

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.