Texas-Based Contractor Pays $153,755 in Back Wages To Delivery Drivers after U.S. Department of Labor Investigation

RICHARDSON, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Accelore Group LLC – doing business as Accelore Solutions in Richardson, Texas – has paid $153,755 in back wages to 289 employees to resolve violations of the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators found that the employer, which contracts with Amazon to provide package delivery, failed to pay drivers overtime when they worked more than 40 hours per workweek. Investigators found the employer paid some employees flat rates per day, or for a fixed number of hours per day, without regard to the number of hours that they actually worked. By doing so, the employer violated FLSA overtime provisions by failing to pay time-and-one-half when employees worked more than 40 hours in a workweek. When the employer did pay overtime to hourly employees, the employer failed to include incentive pay when determining their overtime rates. This exclusion led to overtime being paid at rates lower than those required by law.

“Employers have a responsibility to understand the law and to pay their workers required overtime when they work more than 40 hours in a workweek,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Jesus A. Valdez, in Dallas, Texas. “The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to enforcing the law so that employees are paid the wages they have legally earned, and so that employers compete on a level playing field. We encourage all employers to contact our office to learn more about federal wage 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, confidential calls, or in-person visits to local WHD offices.

Employers that 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/agencies/whd including a search tool for workers who may be owed back wages collected by WHD.

The mission of WHD 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.