U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Houston Oil Field Construction Company Paying $141,141 in Back Wages to 21 Employees

CENTER, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), JML Management Inc. – a construction company based in Center, Texas – has paid $141,141 in back wages to 21 employees for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime requirements.

WHD investigators found that the employer paid a day rate, typically $175 to $225 per day plus $25 per day in per diem, without regard to the number of hours employees worked. This practice resulted in overtime violations when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek but the employer did not pay them overtime. WHD also cited the employer for recordkeeping violations.

“Employees must be paid the wages they have legally earned, including overtime when they work long hours for their employers,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Robin Mallett in Houston, Texas. “The Wage and Hour Division engages in robust educational, outreach and compliance assistance efforts to ensure that employers understand their legal responsibilities. We encourage employers to take advantage of our many tools to help them be in compliance with labor laws.”

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, and in-person visits to 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 United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.