U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Recovers $28,579 in Back Wages For Four Employees of Louisiana Military Contractor

GLENMORA, LA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Lagniappe Porta Johns LLC – based in Glenmora, Louisiana – has paid $28,579 in back wages to four employees to resolve violations of the prevailing wage requirements of the Service Contract Act (SCA) and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA).

WHD investigators determined that the company failed to pay required prevailing wage rates and overtime to employees performing work on its service contract at the U.S. Army installation at Fort Polk, near Leesville, Louisiana. The contractor paid the workers hourly wages below those required by the SCA for both their straight-time and overtime hours. Lagniappe Porta Johns provides portable chemical latrines and services to Fort Polk.

 “Companies providing services for the federal government are required to comply with all obligations specified in their contract with the government,” said Wage and Hour District Director Troy Mouton, in New Orleans, Louisiana. “This investigation demonstrates the department’s commitment to ensuring that employees are paid the wages they have rightfully earned and to leveling the playing field among all employers who do business with the government. We invite government contractors and all employers to use the wide variety of tools we provide to explain employers’ obligations, and to call us confidentially with any questions about their responsibilities.”

The SCA requires contractors and subcontractors performing services on contracts in excess of $2,500 to pay service employees in various categories no less than the wage rates and fringe benefits found prevailing in the locality, or the rates, including prospective increases, contained in a predecessor contractor’s collective bargaining agreement.

For more information about the SCA, CWHSSA 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 the division.