U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Credit Repair Company Reinstating, Paying Employee for Family and Medical Leave Act Violations

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Progrexion Teleservices Inc. – a credit repair company based in Salt Lake City, Utah – has reinstated and paid an employee $10,344 in lost wages and expenses for terminating the employee in violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

WHD found Progrexion Teleservices Inc. wrongfully disciplined and terminated the Phoenix, Arizona-based employee while they were out of work due to FMLA-qualifying health conditions.

The results of the investigation led the employer to reinstate the employee to their former sales agent position and pay them $10,344 in lost wages, liquidated damages and for other expenses incurred as a direct result of the wrongful termination. The employer also agreed to train its managers on the requirements of the FMLA, and updated the company’s employee handbook with accurate FMLA requirements.

“The Family and Medical Leave Act allows workplace flexibility when employees need it most,” said Wage and Hour District Director Eric Murray in Phoenix, Arizona. “We encourage other employers to see this case as an opportunity to review their own practices to ensure FMLA compliance.”

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/agencies/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.