St. Louis metal finishing company pays $45K in back wages, benefits to employee terminated illegally while on protected leave

ST. LOUIS, MO – The federal Family and Medical Leave Act entitles workers to take unpaid, job-protected leave to care for their own or a family member’s serious health condition, so when a St. Louis metal finishing company terminated an employee on protected FMLA leave without notice, the U.S. Department of Labor intervened.

An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division confirmed the worker’s FMLA eligibility and directed Precoat Metals – a division of Sequa Corp. – to pay the employee $45,014 in back wages and benefits. The employee chose not to seek reinstatement.

“The Family and Medical Leave Act allows for critically needed workplace flexibility precisely when employees need it the most,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Jim Yochim in St. Louis. “In this case, the employer violated the worker’s rights by terminating the employee. The Wage and Hour Division stands ready to act when an employer violates an employee’s rights and breaks the law.”

The Family and Medical Leave Act provides eligible employees the right to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage.

For more information about the FMLA and other laws enforced by the division, contact its toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division.