U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Vaping Shop Retailer Paying $63,842 in Back Wages, Damages

SPRINGDALE, AR – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Jasleen Enterprises LLC–based in Springdale, Arkansas, and doing business as Vapor Maven – has paid $63,842 in back wages and liquidated damages to 103 employees for violating the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators found Vapor Maven violated FLSA overtime requirements when the employer paid employees straight-time rates for hours they worked beyond 40 in a workweek. Specifically, Vapor Maven submitted only up to 40 hours per week to be paid to each employee on the payroll, then issued separate, second checks, at straight time, for any additional hours they had worked. The employer’s manipulation of the time records to eliminate the appearance of overtime also violated FLSA recordkeeping requirements.

“Employers must ensure that their employees receive all the wages they have legally earned,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Hanz Grünauer, in Little Rock, Arkansas. “The Wage and Hour Division wants to help educate employers about these laws and encourages all employers to take advantage of the wealth of resources available from the Department. Employers or employees with questions are encouraged to visit our offices or call us to speak directly with a trained wage and hour professional.”

In addition to its Arkansas headquarters, Jasleen Enterprises LLC operates 60 Vapor Maven locations in Georgia, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas.

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, electronic toolkits, or in-person visits with local WHD staff.

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.

WHD’s mission is to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the nation's workforce. WHD enforces federal minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. WHD also enforces the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, wage garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act, and a number of employment standards and worker protections as provided in several immigration related statutes. Additionally, WHD administers and enforces the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act and other statutes applicable to federal contracts for construction and for the provision of goods and services.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the U.S.; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.